COMMUNITY groups which let their council-leased buildings "run to ruin" are being targeted by the local authority.

Watford Borough Council says the crackdown is necessary because several groups are not keeping up with essential repairs on council-owned property due to lack of finances.

The council is concerned it could face a crisis like The Colosseum and is monitoring the groups in terms of their "value for money".

The Irish Club in Wiggenhall Road is one club which has found itself in difficulties. A report issued to the council this week stated: "The building will fall into major disrepair long before the mortgage is repaid".

The council has now taken measures to ease their repayments by off-setting the cost of repairs against the mortgage interest payments.

But the council has warned other groups that they will be looking closely at their arrangements. Mayor Dorothy Thornhill said: "We have a lot of buildings and amenity space that we have historic leases with and we need to look at them and how we can maximise their use."