The owner of a business within the Altrincham gym closed down by Trafford Council today has claimed it is the victim of mistaken identity – and has actually been closed throughout the lockdown so far.
Speaking exclusively to Altrincham Today, Paul Boys said he has a video of the council’s visit to the Atlantic Fitness gym on Blue Chip Business Park in Broadheath today, from where he runs his Next Level Personal Training business.
He said that an Environmental Health officer from the council arrived with a police escort today after visiting another gym nearby.
Boys said: “They asked to come in, I let them in, they could see it was closed, there was no lights or music, and then we said goodbye. They were satisfied. I asked if I was breaking the rules by being there myself, but they said no. The police were there throughout.”
Boys said he had closed Next Level Personal Training last Thursday when forced to by lockdown restrictions, and had not opened it at all since.
And Darren Harrison, owner of Atlantic Fitness which owns the lease to the building, insists he has not opened his gym since the lockdown restrictions came in either.
Boys had been handed a £10,000 fine by police for leading an anti-lockdown protest in Manchester on Sunday – a fine he is protesting – but said this was a separate issue to his business.
He added: “I have not been issued with anything and the landlord has not been issued with anything.”
He said that while he personally thought the idea of shutting gyms in lockdown was “nonsensical”, he insisted his was a “law-abiding business”.
“We have now had negative comments and feedback about this when in actual fact we were closed.”
Trafford Council say they are “standing by” their story.
