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A gym owner who faced a £10,000 fine for keeping his gym open during the second lockdown has seen the 'flimsy' and 'inept' case against him dropped.
Alex Lowndes, who owns Gainz Fitness and Strength in St Neots and Bedford in Cambridgeshire, refused to close his gym in November 2020 after Covid-19 restrictions were imposed.
Mr Lowndes' gym was subsequently raided by police and he was charged with a breach of lockdown regulations, which he denied.
Bedford Borough Council said the case was in the 'public interest' and that there was 'ample evidence for a successful prosecution'.
Mr Lowndes failed to pay the fixed penalty notice and was due to stand trial last March, however the case collapsed because the authority failed to gather enough evidence.
Alex Lowndes (left), who owns Gainz Fitness and Strength in St Neots and Bedford in Cambridgeshire, refused to close his gym in November 2020 after Covid-19 restrictions were imposed
Mr Lowndes told the BBC: 'They [the council] should have looked at it even six months in and gone 'this is a waste of time'.
'But they kept going and they kept going, they brought in an