AN UNDER-THREAT Royal British Legion club has been handed another stay of execution, but bosses say the cold snap is killing their chances of repaying the taxman.

The Marston RBL Club, in Hadow Road, Oxford, had been set to close on Tuesday over an unpaid £52,800 tax bill.

Through bar takings and members’ donations, the club raised a further £5,000 last month, bringing the total repaid to HM Revenue and Customs to £20,000.

The extra cash has guaranteed the club, which has more than 500 members, will stay open until Friday, February 12.

But it needs at least another £5,000 to continue trading after that.

The coldest winter in almost 30 years has forced it to cancel a string of events, with members staying at home during the freezing weather.

Club chairman Derrick Lancaster, 65, said: “We’re more than chuffed with what we’ve raised so far.

“But we’re not half-way yet. What’s killing us now is the weather.

“We’ve had almost no income for the past week and now we have more money going out than coming in.We’re doing everything we can to keep funds coming in, but the weather’s against us.”

Snow forced the cancellation of a cribbage competition for more than 40 people on Wednesday, which had been expected to bring in more than £350. The club also had to cancel darts matches for two of its teams, losing a further £200 in bar takings.

Mr Lancaster said: “It’s getting a bit tight now.We need plenty of people to come in and support us, or a sugar daddy to come in and give us some cash.

“We’ll keep fighting on because I don’t see why we should let this club go, but the coffers are empty now and we need a major boost to get enough money for the taxman.

“We’d have been OK without this weather.”