A 70-year-old Marlborough gym-goer has been told he cannot freeze his gym membership despite government advice on coronavirus.

James Peacock of Marlborough wanted to suspend his gym membership following the current government guidelines on social distancing for the over 70s – regardless of medical conditions.

Mr Peacock, who uses the leisure centre in Marlborough for his knee, asked to freeze his membership but having called both Wiltshire Council and the leisure centre he was left with no answers.

When he called the leisure centre manager for Devizes and Marlborough, Mr Peacock was told that he “can’t suspend membership without a doctor’s note”.

Recently, he had switched from a 'pay as you go' package to a direct debit, which he has since cancelled due to the situation.

He said: "I decided, which is not satisfactory, to cancel my membership. The logic to defeat the virus is for people like me not to go."

Leisure centre manager, Graeme Scott said: “It’s a corporate decision, it isn’t one that we make in the leisure centres."

Wiltshire Council were approached for a comment.