A youth club is demanding the return of £3,400 from a supplier if he fails to deliver the goods they ordered by the end of next week. Biggleswade Youth Club handed over the cash to a Bedford company for several pieces of sports and play equipment. The mon

A youth club is demanding the return of £3,400 from a supplier if he fails to deliver the goods they ordered by the end of next week.

Biggleswade Youth Club handed over the cash to a Bedford company for several pieces of sports and play equipment.

The money was given to the club by Bedfordshire Police Authority. The club was promised the equipment by World-of-Sport.biz if they paid cash up front.

Richard Wycherley, who runs the company, promised in November the equipment would be delivered in three weeks.

Three months later the goods have still not arrived and the club is fed up with the stream of excuses from the company.

Now, as a last resort, the club has written to Mr Wycherley warning him that if the goods are not in their hands by March 5 they will take action to recover the money.

Bedfordshire Police Authority have been informed of the club's plight.

World-of-Sport.biz's failure to deliver the equipment has also meant the youth club has been forced to close for the past eight weeks.

"We have set the company a deadline and we are going to stick to it," said the club's youth leader Paul Burne who lives in London Road, Biggleswade.

"As you can imagine, we are not pleased by what has happened. Now we have written very forcefully to the company saying if the goods are not here by March 5 we want our money back.

"All the time we have heard a different story which is always full of excuses.

"The goods are coming from China, something which we weren't told when we ordered the equipment, and then the boat had to stop in Pakistan to pick up more cargo.

"Three weeks has turned into three months and because of the wait we have had to close the club.

"We had started to build up interest in the club, now we will have to regenerate interest all over again."

Ken Lynch, who helps organise the club in the grounds of Holmemead School, was scathing of the treatment the club had suffered saying: "We heard it was on a slow boat from China but are the crew rowing the boat?

"Had I been told the equipment was coming from China and Pakistan I would never have agreed to buy it.

"I believe in buying British. We thought we had got a good deal when he paid all the money up front and have had nothing but trouble.

"I am speaking to the police and the authority to see what action we can take if this gear doesn't arrive a week on Saturday."

Mr Wycherley promised: "The equipment will be with the club at the end of next week. It is in the docks and is being scrutinised by customs.