A promising Hounslow basketball player with a scholarship to an American university has hit out at the borough's sports facilities.

Karan Kakar, 22, was granted a basketball scholarship to the University of Maine at Machias after impressing coaches with his talent and good work ethos - but he thinks Hounslow is letting down its youngsters.

He has even heard that Heston Community Sports Hall will soon ditch their basketball club because it is not making enough money.

He said: "In America everything is free, whereas most of the leisure centres here in Hounslow charge you £60 an hour to use a court - young people can't afford these prices.

"They don't really have the choice of playing outdoors either. Beaversfield Park has a court but it gets really busy in the summer and there is normally only one hoop because they keep breaking."

Kaz, of Beverley Avenue, Hounslow, believes these kind of restrictions on young people are the reason for many of them getting involved in crime and drugs. He said: "They can't afford to get involved with basketball because of the ridiculous prices and the badly maintained outdoor courts, so they start doing stupid stuff to stop the boredom."

After living in Hounslow all his life Karan said: "I felt there were no opportunities for me here in London, I needed to take my basketball to a whole new level and America is where I needed to go. Basketball is massive over there."

He has just finished his first semester, living the American dream thanks to the help of Showcase Sports Recruitment who assist football and basketball players in getting into US colleges to play their sport whilst studying for a degree.

Heston Community Sports Hall could not be contacted to comment on the basketball club closure.