Holby City star Joe McFadden quits PureGym for ‘failing to keep members safe’ after complaining about a lack of paper towels and overflowing bins at separate London branches two days in a row
- Actor who previously won Strictly Come Dancing called out gym on Twitter
- Claimed gym chain showed ‘failure to keep members safe’ for two days running
- Shared photo of overflowing bin and empty roll of paper to wipe down machines
- Said he was ‘barked at’ when he informed staff at Muswell Hill and Finchley clubs
- PureGym said it has welcomed over 8 million members, across UK and Europe, to its 500+ gyms post-lockdown with no instances of coronavirus transmission
Holby City star Joe McFadden claims he has quit PureGym after being unimpressed by the hygiene measures in place to protect members against coronavirus at two of its London branches.
The Glasgow-born actor, 44, who won the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing with dance partner Katya Jones, shared a photo of an overflowing bin on Twitter earlier this month.
The sanitation station, which members are encouraged to use to wipe down machines after use to stem the spread of coronavirus, also appeared to have run out of disposable paper towels.
Writing on Twitter, Joe claimed: ‘That’s my @PureGym membership cancelled – Forgiving of most things but failure to keep members safe for the second day in a row is a deal-breaker #StopTheSpread.’
Holby City star Joe McFadden claims he has quit PureGym after being unimpressed by the hygiene measures in place to protect members against coronavirus at two of its London branches
Writing on Twitter, Joe claimed: ‘That’s my @PureGym membership cancelled – Forgiving of most things but failure to keep members safe for the second day in a row is a deal-breaker #StopTheSpread’
In a further tweet, Joe said this had been an issue at the Muswell Hill branch one day and the Finchley branch the next.
‘Informed a member of staff and he barked “I’m just getting to it!”,’ he added.
Joe also posted a picture of messy overflowing bins on his Instagram page, captioning it: ‘Stop the spread. No tissues at any of the cleaning stations tonight. Tut,’ reports the Daily Record.
His Twitter post generated discussion among his fans, with some sharing their own experiences of gyms post-Covid-19.
The Glasgow-born actor, 44, who won the 2017 series of Strictly Come Dancing with dance partner Katya Jones, shared a photo of an overflowing bin on Twitter earlier this month
In a further tweet, Joe said this had been an issue at the Muswell Hill branch one day and the Finchley branch the next. ‘Informed a member of staff and he barked “I’m just getting to it!”,’ he added
Bethan Marsden wrote: ‘I contacted my local @PureGym after witnessing two different people drinking from the water fountain despite signage instructing you to only use it to fill water bottles. I haven’t heard anything back, have witnessed it since. It’s not good enough.’
But several shared positive experiences while visiting the chain, particularly at other branches of PureGym across the country.
Ian Morgan tweeted: ‘Big up to #puregym Canterbury. Totally different experience.’
Caz Brown commented: ‘Not had a problem with Bitterne, feel totally safe going there. Always being cleaned and if one cleaning station waiting for refill there are plenty to use.’
Chris Gibbs added: ‘Pleased to say that @PureGymSwindon are being amazing and I couldn’t feel happier and safer in there. They are gm doing a great job… (Except when their excellent PTs push me to want to cry… burpees are evil!).’
In response to Joe’s post, several PureGym members across the country said their experience has been positive
A spokesperson for PureGym told FEMAIL: ‘We are disappointed to learn of this member’s experience at our gym in Finchley where our hygiene stations had run out of cleaning paper.
‘We are working hard to ensure all hygiene stations are kept stocked at all times and have strong TrainSafe protocols which see gyms cleaned five times a day, with a deep clean overnight.
‘Member feedback both nationally and at this gym is very strong at 4.5/5 for equipment and gym floor cleanliness at Finchley.
‘A number of our gyms have been visited by Environmental Health Officers without issue and we have welcomed over 8 million members, across the UK and Europe, to our more than 500 gyms, with no instances of transmission.’