The climbing community in Crawley has been left “absolutely gutted” by the closure of the climbing wall at K2.

The Keep Climbing K2 Crawley group had tried to find different options of keeping the wall open, including a petition which attracted 2,250 signatures.

Crawley Borough Council said it and its operators Everyone Active knew the decision would be “disappointing for the climbing community”.

However, it added that market dynamics had changed and the climbing wall was “no longer viable”.