FOUR parents have been banned from a community centre for a month over comments left on a Facebook page.

Crystal Roberts, Sarah Gregory, Donna Moore and another friend have been told to stay away from Greenstead Community Centre after they protested at the way it was being run.

A row has erupted after children were banned from the cafe at certain times.

The centre claims messages which intimidated staff were posted on Facebook page, Bring back the old Greenstead Community Centre.

The page could not be viewed publicly yesterday, but Crystal, 28, Sarah, 25, and Donna, 34, denied writing anything offensive.

They said they felt they were being punished for speaking out to the Gazette.

Mother-of-two Crystal said: “I didn’t write anything like that.

“I think we should sit down and discuss it, but before we have had the chance to do that the centre has banned us.

“It makes things very awkward for me as I use Surestart which is upstairs and I have to get a member of Surestart staff to come downstairs and collect my baby and buggy outside so I don’t set foot in the centre.”

Sarah, a mother-of-four, said: “I have no idea why they have done it.

“I just feel they didn’t like us speaking out about it and so they are trying to punish us.”

Donna, a former volunteer at the centre and a mother-of-three, said: “It’s supposed to be a community centre where everyone is welcome, but for me it has gone downhill recently.

“None of the comments on that page were offensive.

“We were just saying how we felt.”

Trustee Julie Young said: “Some of the correspondence that has been going on has certainly included abusive and threatening material.

“I posted a statement on the page on behalf of the centre’s trustees saying we would not tolerate any abuse of centre staff and I was deleted as a member of the group.

“One of the members of the churches tried to facilitate a meeting and the action of the group was to remove that individual as a member.

“We decided on a suspension as we felt it was only fair to staff at the centre, some who have felt quite intimidated by members of the group.”