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Gym 'devastated' by two water mains bursts

BBC Garry Bell, standing with crossed arms and wearing shorts and a T-shirt, inside Contender Gym which is dirty and looks like it's in the process of being rebuilt, with no proper floor covering, plastic sheeting covering bits of gym kit, raw wood frames and what looks like a bath for mixing concrete in the background.BBC
Garry Bell says he has lost thousands of pounds and more than 150 members

A gym owner says his business has been "devastated" by floods caused by burst water mains pipes twice in nine days.

Garry Bell, who runs Contender Gym in Stockton, said he had lost more than 150 members as he had been forced to close.

After the second flood, it took him and his team about 17 hours to remove the water with buckets, he said.

Northumbrian Water has apologised and said it was working with Mr Bell to resolve "any issues that have arisen" from the leaks.

The gym, which was founded in 2006, had become known for helping young people at risk of getting involved in knife crime and supporting people dealing with poor mental health.

Contender Gym Two members of gym staff sweeping up water and trying to get it into a large black bucket to remove it, alongside a flooded floor.Contender Gym
The team filled more than 500 buckets to remove the floodwater

The gym was severely damaged by a burst water main at the start of September, requiring a major clean-up operation.

Nine days later, another burst main flooded it again.

"It was like a river, I couldn't believe my eyes," Mr Bell said.

"There was a lot of water, it felt like it was not stopping and getting higher and higher, it was coming over your legs."

Vicky Caven, wearing a black T-shirt saying "staff" and with the gym's name on it, standing in a hallway at the gym's entrance that is mostly white with gym-themed posters on the walls, saying things like "contender" and "new blood".
Gym manager Vicky Caven said customers, some with autism who rely on the gym for a routine, have struggled with the closure

Mr Bell said thousands of pounds worth of gym equipment and computers, and sentimental items like his title belts, had been destroyed.

"Everything was ruined... it's all put in the skip," he said.

"It's hard to put into words how it feels.

"You don't understand how your life can be flipped upside down as fast as this when its nothing to do with me."

Mr Bell said he hoped the costs would be recovered through compensation and his insurance, and that he planned to reopen.

But it will be "very, very hard" to build his business back up, he said.

Northumbrian Water said it was "incredibly sorry" Mr Bell’s business had been affected.

"We are working alongside him to resolve any issues that have arisen as a result of the burst,” a spokesperson said.

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