A MUM in a women’s refuge has begged for a re-think on its closure.

The safe haven in Weymouth is to be closed because it does not cater for men and to free up funds to expand an outreach service for victims to be helped at home.

But a woman who is in hiding at the refuge has called the plan to close it ‘ridiculous’ as it is full of women who need somewhere to escape to – away from men.

The woman, who does not want to be named, said: “It’s absolutely ridiculous.

“This is the first and only time my child and I have felt safe.

“The amount of help they’ve given us is amazing.

“My ex is being taken to court for attacking my child and there’s no way we can stay in my house.”

Dorset County Council has stated the outreach service will only be used when it is safe to do so and that refuges in North and West Dorset will be available for victims to use.

But the domestic abuse victim says women can take years to build up the courage to ask for help and need to escape.

She said: “The thought of outreach work being done in the home is ridiculous.

“You can’t stay where you feel threatened and abused.

“How can you stay in a house where your child is too frightened to play in the garden. The whole proposal is ridiculous – we had to get out of the house there and then.”

The Weymouth refuge has six places but she said while she has been there the only time rooms were empty was between people moving in and out.

She said the outreach service would not work for most women.

She said: “It’s the mental stress you go through. It’s a systematic thing where they don’t just wallop you straight away,”

“There’s a lot of mental work done and the abuse creeps in.

“You get distanced from friends and family and before you know it you have no one to turn to and this man is beating you and harming your children.”

“You have no confidence and no longer resemble the person you were.”

She said she came close to stopping as she left because of the pressure.

She added: “I thought he was the only person who understood me and at one point I let him back in the house.

“If you stay in their environment where they have total control you are not going to get anywhere.

“They are bullies and masters of manipulation and make you feel you can’t do it to them because they love you. Unless you’ve been there and felt the full force of that you are not going to understand.”