PROTESTERS say they are 'offended and disgusted' after they believe they were asked to work with and understand sex offenders living in their community.

But probation chief Carol Moore said there had been a misunderstanding and she wanted residents to work with staff in order to better under-stand the way the Plas y Wern hostel is run.

Plas Madoc residents claim chief probation officer for North Wales Carol Moore asked them to attend workshops with sex offenders at Plas y Wern so they could better understand the people and the difficulties of reintroducing them to the community.

The request was allegedly made at a special meeting between North Wales Probation Service officers and residents of the Plas Madoc estate.

'I attended the meeting and I can honestly say that Carol Moore asked us to meet and work with sex offenders at Plas y Wern. It seemed very clear to me what she was asking,' said protester Stuart Hughes.

'What we believe is that at Plas y Wern most of those sex offenders are paedophiles. It is a ridiculous suggestion.'

Protesters now want the centre completely shut down.

'We believe if we get 500 protesters there on consecutive days the police will not be able to police it,' said campaigner Alvin Evans. 'Then we will have to be listened to properly.'

But Carol Moore insists that what she was asking was for residents to work with hostel staff, not its residents.

'We are a national criminal justice agency running the hostel in accordance with national standards and regulations and Plas y Wern is open to scrutiny by the national inspectorate,' she said.

'There is a big difference between a statutory organisation and somebody who sets themselves up as a voluntary organisation purporting to have the expertise and ability to cater specifically for sex offenders.

'Plas y Wern is not a facility exclusively for sex offenders. We provide accommodation for offenders who have committed a wide range of offences.

'The meeting we had with the liaison forum and local residents was very positive and constructive and I am hopeful that we can continue this dialogue.

'The group were very positive about me attending and said they would appreciate me attending some of the meetings in future.

'There is no intention to include hostel residents or other offenders in an event involving local people.'

Mr Hughes said he had asked for in-depth figures on the place-ment of paedophiles in Wrexham after their sentences end.

'At the last meeting we were told that no paedophiles had been housed in Plas Madoc on their final release from Plas y Wern,' he said.

'However, Carol Moore and hostel manager Steve Ray were unable to tell us whether they had been housed elsewhere in Wrexham.

'They did tell us that 490 offenders have been through there in the last five years but they couldn't tell us where they are now and that concerns us a lot.'