A BOXING club boss says his beloved gym was minutes from going up in flames after water from the leaking roof flooded into the electrics.

Kenny Crighton, who has been running Port Glasgow Victoria Boxing Club for 25 years, said the whole building could have been engulfed as sparks flew from the sodden electrical box.

The boxing coach and his colleagues have been calling in every day during lockdown to carry out building checks and empty buckets due to the state of the roof.

Member Nicky Anderson had popped into the hall with her son when she discovered a major flood and raised the alarm.

Nicky, 45, who lives in Greenock, said: "When I opened the door the flooding was really bad.

"Me and my son got mops to clear it up and I called Kenny.

"There was a piece of wood near the ceiling, it was all bevelled and when it came down the water poured in.

"We saw sparks coming out the electrical box."

Kenny said they managed to isolate the box just in the nick of time.

He told the Tele: "It was a big shock, we were lucky it had just started.

"Another half an hour, the gym could have burnt down."

With no power and water coming through the whole length of the flat roof, Kenny says the premises may need a brand new pitched roof.

A section of the floor is also rotten and needs replaced.

Kenny, who has run the club for 25 years, says plans to upgrade the building, the former Glen Rangers hall, will now have to be brought forward.

He said: "It would obviously have been much worse if the club had gone on fire and there were people inside.

"That's the only positive thing."

The club closed in March and was re-opened in October for just six weeks before being shut down again by public health restrictions.

Kenny said: "I'm getting calls and messages every day from members, asking when we are opening back up.

"We have 90-plus, some have been training here all their lives."

Nicky, who has MS and has been training with the club for 10 years, said: "I do all the bookings and I'm in touch with most of the members and everybody is desperate to get back, the community is missing it."

The club has applied to the council's Grants to Voluntary Organisations fund and asked town councillor Drew McKenzie for his help.

Kenny said: "Drew has been a good help over the years, as has the council leader Stephen McCabe and former MSP Duncan McNeil.

"The council has been brilliant, we have a good relationship with them.

"Without them we wouldn't have been able to keep the gym going at all."

Councillor McKenzie said: "The contribution that this club makes to the fabric of Port Glasgow is immeasurable.

"Young people are able to train for a very nominal sum and from an early age they have a sense of discipline and respect instilled into them.

"I cannot speak highly enough of my respect for Kenny Crighton and the other coaches with the way they guide these young people.

"I will be lobbying Inverclyde Council for immediate support in getting the club ready for re-opening and for advice in long-term grant funding."