Defiant gym owners close up after being told they would be hit with the £10,000 maximum fine

Keith Brook and Joe Davies, who run A-Star Muscle and Fitness in Wakefield, posted a video online saying they were refusing to adhere with the government guidelines, and said they would take the fines as long as they could.

Their stance received a huge wave of support online.

However, they took the difficult decision after being warned it would be met with an immediate five-figure levy if they ignored the rules.

Joe posted a video on Facebook this morning and was visibly upset by having to take the decision.

He said: "We received a tip-off late last night that there would be no staged fines, it would be straight in at £10,000 at 6am this morning.

"This morning we've also had a call from environmental health in Wakefield, saying that they would immediately shut us down as a business and we would never operate again.

"If we had continued this morning, those 300 people who come down to use our gym would not have had a gym to come back to.

"I have had to turn people away this morning which is upsetting me a little bit.

"We tried our best to do what we can and fight the gym's cause, because I believe we should be open.

"I don't understand why we've closed, the facts and figures are there. We should all fight this together.

"Thanks for everyone's support and we'll do what we can.

"Thanks for all of your messages."

Both Joe and Keith had said that if there was evidence to suggest Covid-19 was being spread through gyms, they would have happily closed.

They also said mental and physical health was vital during lockdown, and their motive was not financially motivated, having said that only existing members could use the gym during this time.

Wakefield Council has been asked for a comment.