Lockout over as sports centre reopens

9:00am Saturday 27th October 2007

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IT is business as usual at Poole Sports Centre after a locksmith mix-up left staff and customers out in the cold last week.

Employees at the gym in the Dolphin Centre were shocked to find themselves locked out last Thursday with no explanation.

Members arriving for early morning classes were forced to wait outside while staff frantically searched for answers.

But centre manager Mark Thomas quickly got to the root of the problem and the centre was open as usual by 6.30pm on Friday.

He explained: "It was down to a complete misunderstanding between the landlord and the sports centre owners.

"It was nothing to do with any bailiffs as some people thought. Basically, a locksmith had come and changed the locks, but we had not been told.

"We have been on the phone a lot trying to let everyone know the situation, but we just didn't have everybody's numbers so couldn't let everybody know."

The Dolphin Centre sports facility has narrowly avoided closure several times.

Axa Sun Life took in the property in May and leased it to UK Sports Centres Ltd.

The previous operator Wessex Sports Trust had made a loss on the site.

Last March the Daily Echo reported the centre needed £340,000 worth of investment to bring it up to date.

Mr Thomas said: "It has been a hectic couple of days and we have worked with some urgency to get the centre open as usual.

"Obviously I apologise to customers who have been inconvenienced by this, and if anybody has any queries, please speak to me or Nikki at the centre."