REHABILITATION equipment at Castle Leisure Centre is to be scrapped.

Some users at the centre in Bury have been left upset by the decision.

Angela Brook, aged 69, from Radcliffe, uses the mechanical toning chairs as part of her rehabilitation after a mini-stroke 12 months ago.

She was told by a staff member the eight chairs were going but this was denied by the leisure centre manager.

She, said: “They have helped people with arthritis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson’s, dementia, post-op, MS – it is not like it is not being used. There are people there at 7am.”

She added: “It is not just the physical improvement. My speech has improved and there is a lot of social interaction with people.

“There are people talking about what’s going on in the world, news, etc. For some people, it is the only social contact they get.”

Bury Council is responsible for the chairs and a spokesman admitted they are destined for the scrap heap because medical practice no longer favours them.

Mrs Brook said: “I have been told I can use the pool but I have mobility problems and I am not being put on a hoist. I have been told we can go to a general gym but that is for treadmill types.”

Instead the council will be offering “more up-to-date facilities which offer greater benefits”.

The spokesman, said: “The mechanical toning chairs were popular 10 or 15 years ago to help people regain mobility and fitness, but have fallen out of favour with medical professionals, who no longer refer patients to us to use them.They feel there is no effective way to monitor the progress of those who use them, and other methods bring more benefits.

“The machines at Castle are also old and are not cost effective.

“We have therefore decided to replace them with more up-to-date facilities which offer greater benefits, such as chair-based exercise routines and a range of low impact classes such as pilates and yoga. “We have also introduced activities such as walking football and walking netball, which are proving popular.

“We will be informing the regular users of the toning chairs about the changes, which are scheduled to begin in mid-May.”