Pure Gym are considering taking legal action over the Government's decision to close gyms and fitness centres in the Liverpool area as part of Tier 3 coronavirus restrictions.
Humphrey Cobbold, chief executive of the UK's largest gym chain, said the group was "extremely disappointed" over the move, which will force it to close seven sites in the Liverpool City Region.
He urged the Government to present the data to support the closure of gyms and fitness sites, claiming that there is "no evidence of Covid-19 transmission in gyms".
Humphrey Cobbold told the PA news agency that he hopes the Government will reconsider its decision to close gyms in Tier 3 locations.
He said: "We hope they can come to this decision by talking to us and trying to look at the evidence there is.
"But if this does not get better, then we might have no other option than to consider redress through legal mechanisms.
"These restrictions will hit local operators hard but we are also urging them to change because we believe this decision will be to the manifest detriment to people in the city."
He said that group, which runs 276 UK gyms, has been notified of 11 staff and gym members who have been diagnosed with the virus across its Liverpool-based sites.
Mr Cobbold continued: "We urge the mayors and leaders of the Liverpool City Region to reconsider this retrograde step which has no scientific basis and we challenge the government to present the data that supports this decision.
"Our members and other gym-goers in the area are bitterly disappointed to not be able to exercise, especially as the nights get longer and the temperatures colder.
"This decision will have a profound impact on some fitness facilities which are in a perilous state after the first lockdown and it will worsen the physical and mental health of the local population."
Tough new measures were announced for the Liverpool City Region yesterday, as Boris Johnson placed our area in Tier 3 lockdown.
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As well as gyms closing, pubs, bars, casinos, betting shops and adult gaming centres will also be forced to shut their doors tomorrow.
The new rules come into force from midnight which means today is the last day gyms are able to open.
For those worried about not being able to get to gym in the near future, according to the government's new guidelines outdoor exercise classes and organised sport can still continue.
