Valuable cricket memorabilia will be auctioned next month to keep a sports centre afloat.

The Horntye Leisure Centre Complex in Bohemia Road, Hastings, has been facing financial difficulty for some months because the running costs outweigh the money the centre brings in.

Last month, the directors held a meeting to discuss the sale of the memorabilia worth thousands of pounds which will help towards the centre's £1,000 a day costs.

The objects will be auctioned in two lots - the first will be a collection of Wisdens which date back to the 1800s and will be sold in Leicester on April 19.

Other cricket books and photographs will be auctioned on June 20. Manager Kevin Miller said: "Both auctions will be at a specialist auctioneers in cricket and sport in Leicester because it is a central point in the country and everybody can get to it without too many problems.

"It is sad that we have to sell the memorabilia.

"We have made some of our photographs and books available to a local institution and we are waiting for them to come back to us to see if they are interested. If we could keep the local photographs in the town it would be nice."

The centre was built in 2000 after it received money from the Lottery and Sport England. It is run by the Hastings and St Leonards Central Cricket and Recreational Ground charity, which receives no council funding.

The charity is looking to sell a two-acre piece of land at the edge of the site which would be used for development.

Up to 150,000 people a year visit the centre which is used for cricket, football, basketball, badminton and hockey. It also caters for disabled groups and runs music events.

Mr Miller said: "In our current position we cannot make the centre pay because we provide a great deal of sport for the town. We continue to provide it which is why we have got plans afoot to make ourselves profitable.

"The planning application for the land is imminent and should be submitted before the end of the month to build apartments and an indoor bowls centre on site, with something above, which will increase our volumes and through-puts to make the whole thing viable."

Do you think the cricket history should remain in the town?