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The cafe closed at the start of the month despite over 180 people, who regularly use the facilities, signing a petition to object to its closure.

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A Leeds City Council spokesman confirmed that it had closed because it was not "economically viable".

Members of the Active Life Group have hit back at its closure in a letter to the Pudsey Times which said: "Do the people who made this decision know how far reaching the resulting effects will be?

"The cafe is not only used by people who use the leisure centre, but as a meeting place for the walkers, runners, and where friends chat over coffee and a snack.

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"People feel very strongly about this decision and would like it to be reversed. It serves the community of Pudsey and all groups using the leisure centre and beyond - does anybody care about that?"

The group also claimed that 188 people had signed a petition objecting against the closure.

A council spokesman said: "The cafes in a number of our leisure centres were simply not economically viable and we do not think that it is appropriate to run them as a subsidy.

"As a result the council's Executive Board took the decision to close them at their committee meeting.

"We continue to look at how we can invest in Pudsey Leisure Centre to ensure it remains an attractive and valued local facility."