A member of a ‘premium’ Manchester gym has told of his frustration after £6k worth of belongings were stolen
David Lloyd Club, Trafford
A professional footballer has been left frustrated and disappointed after his belongings were stolen from a secure locker at David Lloyd in Trafford on Monday afternoon (December 15).
Scott Holding, who plays as a defender for Macclesfield FC, said he arrived at the premium health and wellness club at around 3.45pm to use the spa facilities. The 22-year-old put his expensive Louis Vuitton rucksack and washbag into a locker in the men’s changing room before securing it with a four-digit padlock.
Scott says he returned half an hour later to find the padlock still in tact. However, when he opened the locker, he told the Manchester Evening News that he found that all of his clothes and other items had been ransacked and his rucksack and washbag were no longer there.
“Someone clearly had their eye on me and either watched me put my code in or somehow figured out a way to unlock the code on the padlock,” Scott explained. “I’m baffled as to how they did it.”
Macclesfield FC defender Scott Holding.(Image: Scott Holding)
Moments later, Scott says his friend and fellow David Lloyd member, Richard, who was using the locker next to Scott’s realised the same thing had happened to him, finding that his Louis Vuitton holdall had also been taken.
While Scott’s car keys and wallet were still in his coat pocket, which had been hanging up on a hook inside the locker, Scott says Richard’s keys and wallet had been contained in a small zip pocket of his stolen holdall.
“I don’t think they meant to take his keys and wallet,” Scott explained. “It was the bags they were after. They’ve clearly done it before and know exactly what they’re doing. They know bags can’t be tracked and they’ll get away scot free.”
The designer bags were worth an estimated £2.5k each, according to Scott.
Both Scott and Richard immediately went to reception and told David Lloyd staff what had happened. A manager informed them that a CCTV camera was located just outside the entrance to the men’s changing rooms, but said he didn’t have permission to share the footage with them.
Instead, he advised both men to email another department who would provide access to the footage.
David and Richard did as they were told, only to receive the following response a short while later: “Unfortunately, we are unable to provide you with this information as the CCTV footage you requested concerns personal data that belongs to one or more third parties. We are unable to obtain permission from them to share this with you.”
Scott Holding’s Instagram post about the theft.(Image: @scottholding)
When contacted by the Manchester Evening News, a spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs said the CCTV would be shared with police if asked by officers to help their investigation. But that CCTV cannot be shared with members of the public for GDPR reasons.
A spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs said: “We are very sorry about the recent theft at our Trafford Club and want to reassure members that we are treating this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are actively investigating the situation, and our team is in direct contact with the affected member.”
Scott said: “It’s crazy that we waited hours just to be told to fill that form out and this is the dead end we’re left facing. A crime has been committed and nobody seems to want to do anything about it.
“Some members pay over £200 and if you’re paying premium membership prices the least you should be guaranteed is safety,” he added. “David Lloyd don’t care about their members and have taken no responsibility in this case.”
After the response he experienced at David Lloyd, Scott went to the local police station to report the theft. There, he was informed that an officer would visit his address at 8am the following morning to take a statement.
At 7.45am on Tuesday, Scott received a message to say the appointment had been cancelled due to an administration error.
He said that other members of David Lloyd in Trafford have shared concerns about the safety and security of their belongings in the past, and linked to a private Facebook group where bad experiences had been shared.
Scott asks: “If it’s a recurring thing, why hasn’t the club done anything about it? Surely the safety of their high-paying members should be top priority?”
Greater Manchester Police have both been contacted for comment.