A CHARITY is trying to allay villagers' fears that it is planning to send young offenders to an outdoor education centre.

People living in Allendale, Northumberland, are concerned that the Deneholme centre will be used as a place for the rehabilitation of young offenders and drug addicts from the Darlington area.

Northumberland County Council is considering selling the centre, which has been under threat of closure for more than a year.

About 900 people have signed a petition calling for the sale to be halted.

The Darlington and District Youth and Community Association has been caught up in the row because it is bidding to purchase the centre.

Although the group does have a small involvement with children at risk of offending, it says it would not send any to the centre.

Instead, youngsters involved with groups such as PS2K, which go into schools giving anti-drugs messages, would make use of the facilities.

Bosses at the charity admit to be being surprised by the furore caused over the centre, and they are keen to address residents' fears.

They tried to put their point across at a heated public meeting of Northumberland County Council's business management panel, on Tuesday night.

Geoff North, secretary and treasurer of the Darlington association, said: "The meeting was horrendous, and although we expected to put our views across, it didn't turn out like that.

"A lot of the residents vented spleen to the county council about the sale, and we got some of the spillage from that.

"We don't work with young offenders or drug addicts, and would not take anyone up to the centre if we knew it would cause problems for ourselves or local residents."

A spokesman for Northumberland County Council said it would take the views of Allendale residents into account before any sale of Deneholme is agreed, and that the authority would discuss it again on December 6