Leeds man's warning after three watches worth £30k stolen from locker in David Lloyd gym in Moortown

The 26-year-old, who wishes to remain anonymous, went to the Moortown club on Saturday January 22 with two friends who were visiting Leeds.

At around 1pm, they took off their watches - two Rolexes and an Omega worth around £30,000 in total - storing them in a locker in the male changing rooms.

“We put our watches in and locked it with a padlock,” the man, of Alwoodley, said.

“We came back to the locker around an hour later and the lock and all of our watches were missing.

“It’s the first expensive thing I’ve ever bought. Luckily we all have insurance, but there are people who don’t.”

The man, who owns a retail business, has reported the incident to the police - but there have been no arrests in connection with the theft.

He says staff and the police have been unable to locate the suspects as there are no security cameras in the changing rooms.

A David Lloyd member of 10 years, he is warning others to be aware that padlocks can be broken into.

A spokesperson for the club said that although incidents of theft are "very rare", members should avoid bringing in valuables "if at all possible."

“If people aren’t regular gym goers, I don’t think they know that this can happen,” the member added.

“We wouldn’t think for a minute that something would get stolen from us there.

“I want people to know more about it.”

A spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: "Police received reports of a theft from premises on Tongue Lane, Leeds.

"The theft is reported to have taken place on Saturday January 22 between 1.30pm and 3pm."

The David Lloyd spokesperson said: "We take security very seriously and we are sorry to hear that a member believes that valuables went missing from our Club last week.  

"We understand that the member has reported the matter to the Police and we will of course support any investigation.  

"We want to reassure members that incidents of this nature are very rare, however we do ask everyone to avoid bringing valuables into the Club if at all possible."

Support the YEP and become a subscriber today. Enjoy unlimited access to local news and the latest on Leeds United. With a digital subscription, you'll see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Click here to subscribe.