Residents in Tetbury have been left shocked by the sudden closure of the town's only leisure centre.

Gym-goers at Sir William Romney's Leisure Centre were stunned to hear of its closure when they arrived for their morning work out this morning. 

Tetbury resident Danny Ruddick said: "I arrived at 8am this morning to attend my usual hour or so in the gym and it was closed.

"I was informed by a member of staff that it has been closed to members and the public in general.

"There have been no prior warnings issued concerning the impending closure and the member of staff concerned was also only informed this morning.

"So we now have one of the largest towns in the Cotswolds with no funded provision to aid the health and well being of its residents.

Owners Sir William Romney’s Leisure Limited have put the closure down to ‘the cessation of grant funding.’

In a statement on their website titled 'closing statement' they said: "After nearly six years of providing leisure facilities for our local community, the Directors of Sir William Romney’s Leisure Ltd regretfully announce that the leisure centre will cease to trade from Monday, July 8.

"Following the cessation of grant funding, we have had to take the regretful decision to close all of our facilities, classes and holiday provision.

"We will be contacting all our members and creditors without delay.

"Despite the decision to close SWR Leisure, Sir William Romney’s School is exploring opportunities to ensure that our sports centre facilities remain available for our local community, particularly in the form of lettings of the sports hall for local sports groups.

"We would like to thank all of our members and regular users for their support and understanding through this difficult time.

"If you have any queries please contact Mr Jim Goudie, Butcher Woods Ltd, 79 Caroline Street, Birmingham B3 1UP, telephone 0121 236 6001."

Lib Dem leader of Cotswold District Council, Cllr Joe Harris added: “I’m disappointed to hear that the Leisure Centre at Sir William Romney School in Tetbury has closed today and also that the facilities at Farmors school in Fairford are set to close soon. 

“My administration are committed to ensuring that all communities have access to a decent health and fitness offer and as part of our comprehensive plan for the Cotswolds we will work with both communities to help realise this even with the gyms closing. We need to be proactive in finding a solution."