[From This Is Gloucestershire]

Gloucester Ski and Snowboard Centre could still face closure after rumours its closest rival is bidding to take it over.

Fears the centre could close forever have been sparked after a team of employees trying to buy the ski centre has still been unable to secure the deal.

Employees at the centre have said they now fear Leisure Dome, the company behind a new £50million ski slope in Weston-super-Mare, want to buy it and shut it down.

And The Citizen received an anonymous letter from an employee which suggested that if the centre were to close, custom would be driven to the snow dome in Weston, which is set to open in 2013 as the UK's longest indoor ski slope.

"The sad but logical conclusion is that, if the Gloucester slope is closed, as well as me and my 50 colleagues losing our jobs, much of the current £400,000 in annual turnover would move down the M5 to their new dome," the letter said.

"And at some stage in the future when our centre is a long-distant memory, an application would be made to build houses on the 12 acres of the prime land it sits upon."

Leisure Dome Limited director Clive Hamilton-Davies declined to comment on the prospect of a bid but a spokesman for property marketing company GVA confirmed the firm is handling the sale of the centre, which is now on the open market.

The spokesman said GVA was unable to comment further.

The management at the ski centre has submitted two bids but as yet not reached agreement with owners Jupiter Hotels.

Richard White, bid team co-ordinator for the employees, said: "We are still in exclusive negotiations with Jupiter Hotels and that has not changed."

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