SOUTHAMPTON residents have had to stump up £680,000 to support the Quays leisure complex.

But news that the swimming and diving complex has not taken off has baffled leisure bosses and customers.

Figures released by the city council show the £10 million city complex has a cash deficit of £200,000 - and that is on top of £480,000 already allocated.

And even when people do come through the door, they spend only 30p - less than half the price of a cup of coffee in The Quays caf.

This means city residents will have supported The Quays, which only opened last year, to the tune of £680,000 - this year's total council subsidy for the fledgling sporting complex. The £200,000 Quay's deficit is part of a £500,000 total shortfall in leisure facilities across the city in the last year.

The news is a blow to city finance bosses who this year claim there will be a £3.6 million shortfall in the council coffers. Next year they predict that figure could rocket to as much as £22 million.

The down turn in leisure use has been blamed on an increasingly competitive private market in the city and a drop in the number of casual swimmers.

Other factors have also been blamed by city leisure chiefs for the under-performance at The Quays, the city's municipal golf course and Bitterne Leisure Centre.

l Temporary closure at the Sports Centre for upgrades to the running track and all-weather pitches has hit visitor numbers.

l Bitterne Leisure Centre has been closed for a revamp since October and re-opens in January.

l Bad weather has left the golf course saturated

l The Quays has been operating in the midst of a building site all year with the development of the WestQuay shopping centre next door.

Sport and recreation services manager, Peter Fryatt said: "When Centre 2000 closed and we were waiting for The Quays to be developed people got out of the habit of going for a swim because we didn't have a municipal swimming pool in the city centre.

"Every indicator we had was that The Quays would be a successful pool and we are confident it will be turned around.

"Normally when a complex like The Quays opens the public interest will be more than anticipated and then there will be a steady growth over the next year or two.

"But when The Quays opened the public interest did not exceed what we expected - and that is the first time I have ever experienced that."

Tory Councillor John Hannides said now is the time for the council to admit its shortcomings and allow The Quays to be run by a private management company.

"The time has come for us to get external managers in to run The Quays. As well as the expertise they will be able to bring to the complex, they would be able to provide proper investment," he said.

The Quay's new manager Jayne Ludden is optimistic about the future and since she joined in November she has been responsible for a major shake-up at the sporting complex.

She told a behind closed doors leisure briefing, attended by the Daily Echo, that visitor numbers and income have gone up - with an increase in November of 12 per cent in both critical areas.

"Our New Year's resolution for The Quays is to build upon the quality service and exciting new activities to attract more families to use the complex," said Ms Ludden.

Earlier this year the Daily Echo reported how plans to hold the UK's Winter National Diving Championships were scrapped after it was discovered that the diving boards at The Quays were 65 centimetres too narrow to meet Olympic standards.