A ROW between an ice rink in Hampshire and figure skating coaches could result in a dramatic boycott and walkout.

Coaches who rent out ‘ice time’ at Planet Ice in Gosport are furious with bosses at the facility because of ‘unfair’ conditions in their proposed new contracts.

Across the country coaches working at Planet Ice rinks have been told that rent, which they pay to work in the rink could almost triple £122 to £300 a week.

Now skaters and coaches say they will stage a walk out and boycott August 31 unless the proposals change.

Already two coaches in Basingstoke have resigned over the new conditions, while a further six in Gosport and are threatening to walk out unless a new deal is reached.

One person who is concerned about implications of this row and what it could mean for the future ice skating in Hampshire is long-term ice-rink campaigner and national figure skating competitor who asked not to be named.

She said: “It is absolutely appalling, it is really sad for the young people and adult skaters that have been training with a coach, they have got to know and inspired them, and they could lose that perhaps forever.”

One coach from Hampshire who has been coaching people of all ages for more than 40 years, but asked not to be named fears she will never coach again because of the row.

She, said: "I am angry about this because it makes coaching unattainable and impossible for us."

"Gosport is not in an ideal location due to the traffic on the A32 and it is not even a full size rink, which makes it harder to attract customers anyway.

"We all feel we have been treated unfairly and backed in a corner because there's no other ice rinks on main land for 40 miles."

"My little granddaughter had just started learning and was loving it, now she along other youngsters will find it hard to get proper coaching."

However bosses at Planet Ice have hit back and said that coaches in Gosport have refused to negotiate the terms of the deal and did not turn up to a meeting with customers and Planet Ice Bosses about the proposals.

They also added that they already subsides coaches ice time and that coaches will under the new proposal will receive a half hourly wage in-line with Sports England national rate.

A spokesperson for Planet Ice, said: "We have extended the proposal date to August 21, that extension was to give coaches enough time to absorb it and let us know their feelings.

Daily Echo: Bust-up over ice rink rents

"We have answered questions already to all of our customers in a statement to explain what we are doing and why, we cannot do anymore."

"I think there are coaches there that are fundamentally coaches and one of the things we are witnessing that they are not full time coaches and are patching it in-between other pursuits."

"Right now I think we should bring everyone in and talk about the changes, and we have been refused that process by the coaches and we have not had a single coach put there name to a letter or the media which makes it impossible for us to negotiate."