HUNDREDS of gym users have been left in limbo after a popular Worcester fitness centre went into administration.

Members of Life of Leisure, in Bromyard Road, St John's, paid out hundreds of pounds in yearly fees and face a worrying wait to see if they can get refunds.

Furious customers have been demanding answers on the future of the club since it closed two weeks ago after it was damaged in the June downpours.

So far they have received no answers from the management at the Worcester centre, where the phone number is out of service, or its other outlet in Redditch.

Marion Wood, aged 42, of Beacon Hill Drive, St John's, paid £700 in March when she, son Andrew, 17, daughter Cheryl, 20, and husband David, 43, signed up for a year.

She said: "We called the Redditch branch five times but got no answers, and only found out on Saturday by calling them again.

"I paid £700 on a credit card in March for 12 months' family membership. My credit card company will try to get me a refund but I can imagine there are some pretty angry people out there.

"Someone had been to the gym last Friday and took down the signs saying it was closed. It's quite bad really."

Another member, who did not want to be named, said: "Lots of people have been left in the lurch, it's a really shabby way to treat your customers. I had a direct debit still going out and cancelled it today. Every time I called the Redditch branch I didn't get any answers, then a friend called me to say it had gone into administration.

"Nobody has been told anything officially, I'm really angry about it."

Another said: "I paid £400 for a dual-retired membership to last until April 2008 because I signed up front.

"If people don't know that it has gone into administration how are they supposed to get the money back?"

The gym was hit by the storms on Tuesday, June 19, when part of the roof fell through and some of the gym filled with three inches of rain, ruining some equipment and fittings.

The future of the gym has now been placed in the hands of legal firm Creswell, the adminstrators for the company.

Gordon Craig, who is handling the case for the firm, said: "I can confirm that the company has filed for administration and is looking to sell the branch."

He said the High Court was accepting the move today as part of the administration procedure, and that he would talk about refunds as soon as he had the authority to do so.

The gym offered customers 12-month, six-month or three-month passes for various prices, although the average was thought to be about £225 a year.

Despite numerous attempts by the Worcester News to get in touch with them, the Redditch branch of Life of Leisure did not respond to our queries.

* Have you paid for a gym membership at Life of Leisure? Call Tom Edwards on 01905 742253.