A Nottinghamshire mum is "outraged" after her teenage son's bike was stolen while he was at the gym. Clare Johnson, 41, of Sherwood, bought her son a brand new bike in April earlier this year so that he could start going to the David Lloyd gym in Aspley, Lane Nottingham. But on his most recent visit the bike was stolen.
Clare is frustrated about the theft as although things are left at their own risk she felt the centre had a secure car park and a safe area for bikes to be locked. She said: "He uses it mainly to get there and back and spends a lot of time there. I bought a decent lock, it was about £30.
"It got stolen on the 2nd of August, they just cut the bolt straight off of it, they just cut straight through the lock." Clare contacted the gym that day and felt that they were "really quite dismissive" about the theft, and told her it had "never happened before."
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Since sharing what happened on Facebook in an appeal to find the bike, Clare claims others have shared similar experiences.
A spokesperson for the gym said they now plan to improve the security of bikes parked in the club car park and are installing a secure bike shelter with a heavy-duty locking system.
After speaking to staff at the gym, Clare said: "If I want a heavy duty lock, I only have to ask but there's no signage outside to tell me that. There's a sign behind that desk but by that point the bike would have already been locked up, there should be a sign outside.
Clare doesn't drive, and so the only way her 15 year old could get to the gym was by cycling there. She said: "I'm paying for a gym membership he can't use and a bike he hasn't got, I'm outraged.
"I bought it for him brand new so that he could get to and from the gym as I can't get him there as I don't drive. At the minute I can't afford to just go out and buy another bike, and I'm still paying for the other bike."
Clare has described the situation as "annoying" and "outrageous" as even if she could just go and buy a new bike, what would stop it from happening again.
A spokesperson from David Lloyd said: "We take security at our clubs very seriously and we are concerned to hear of the recent bike thefts from the club’s car park. We are working closely with the police whilst they conduct their investigations and have provided CCTV to help identify those responsible.
"To improve the security of bikes parked in the club car park, we are installing a secure bike shelter with a heavy-duty locking system, which will be accessible by members only via club reception. We want to reassure members that thefts at our clubs are very rare, but we take any incidents very seriously and take any action appropriate to keep our members’ belongings secure."
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