Gym owner who faced a £10,000 fine for keeping his gym open during second Covid national lockdown sees 'flimsy' and 'inept' case against him dropped Alex Lowndes refused to close Gainz Fitness and Strength in November 2020 It was raided by police and he was charged with breaching lockdown regulations The council said it was in the 'public interest' and that there was 'ample evidence' By Jonathan Rose For Mailonline Published: 13:23 BST, 3 May 2022 | Updated: 13:29 BST, 3 May 2022 1 Viewcomments 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 external barrister, they kept spending money, and it just got out of control.' He added: '[Contesting the case] was based on principle. We should never have shut in the first place and we stand by what we did at the time.' MailOnline has contacted Bedford Borough Council for comment. At the time, Mr Lowndes said he was willing to accept the potential fine. Mr Lowndes' gym was subsequently raided by police and he was charged with a breach of lockdown regulations, which he denied 'The science doesn't back the shutdown of gyms. Garden centres are essential but gyms aren't? It's a farce,' he said. 'None of us have got huge wads of money but this is bigger than £10,000. If they shut us down now then they'll keep shutting us down. 'Gyms are part of the solution here, not part of the problem. We need to be allowed to stay open. We are going to stay open.' Mr Lowndes added: 'The response has been overwhelmingly positive. We've had pledges with people offering to help out with a fine if that happens.' Responding to the suggestion he would be contributing to spreading coronavirus by staying open, Alex said: 'If you want to take that stance you should look at schools and universities. 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 'You've got to shut down everything if you're doing a lockdown.' The gym owner's decision was met with a mixed reaction on Facebook. One social media user, who claims to be a member at Gainz, said he was cancelling his membership as a result. He explained: 'As a member of the scientific community I cannot condone this and will have to resign my membership I'm afraid. 'I had paid a whole year and had not asked for refund or extension during the last lockdown. Very happy to support a local business but not this attitude.' Others praised Alex for pushing back at the lockdown measures, with another writing: 'Good for him. 'Businesses need to push back against these unnecessary draconian measures!' Read more: Share or comment on this article: All rights reserved for this news site (dailymail) and under his responsibility