A GUTTED Greenock gym owner has been hit with a huge clean-up bill after putrid water filled with HUMAN WASTE poured into the premises from an overflowing sewage pipe.
Andy Armour, of the UrbanFit Gym on Campbell Street, told the Tele that he is thousands of pounds out of pocket after the building was 'swamped' with revolting fluids during recent storms.
The foul flood ruined countless pieces of boxing equipment, gym mats and other workout gear which were stored inside.
Now Andy, 44, fears his business may have to close if it is hit by another sewage crisis.
He said: “I was distraught when I saw what had happened, the reality is I can handle when it’s raining and we get the clean water in, but if something like this happens again it’s game over for us.
“I can’t have this all the time.
“I would probably say that I’m at least three or four grand out of pocket in terms of damage and lost business, easily.
“This happens a couple of times a year normally, but we’re always prepared because the water only comes so far in.
“It only comes in at the front and it’s just clear water, so we can just pull things back and it’s fine.
“But the last time the filthy water came pouring out of the sewage pipe we have underneath, you could actually see the waste in it.
“It was disgusting, and it was all over the gym.
“The smell was bad, we had to lift all the mats and the carpet in the office got ruined as well.”
Andy was forced to shut the gym for a week while he scrubbed down every piece of salvageable equipment and removed the ruined items from the building.
He said: “We had to wash everything and sanitise the floor.
“Normally we grab the wall balls and throw them up the back, but this time the water came right up and destroyed them.
“They’re not cheap, they range between £40-£60 per ball.
“We just had to dump those ones at the bottom along with a lot of other equipment.
“People might look at a gym and think all the wee bits of equipment look like they’d be cheap, but they aren’t.
“We ended up throwing out a lot of stuff. We had boxes with all sorts of gym equipment at the bottom of them that got flooded.
“It was manky, there was no way you could wash it down.”
Despite the difficult period, Andy says he has been heartened by the support he has received from his loyal members who have pitched in to help him clean the place up.
A fundraiser which was launched after the damage was inflicted has now raised over £1,000 and Andy hopes the cash will help him steady the ship.
He said: “I’m eternally grateful to all the members who gave up their time to help out.
“We’re just trying to claw something back now, we need to get the stuff back that we lost.
“I’m amazed at the response we’ve had so far.
“It was one of our members, Jill McMenemy, that organised the fundraiser and we’ve already got a fair bit, which is a big help.
“It makes you feel good that people want to help out, the people in here love this place.
"It’s a community and they want to keep it.”
Those wishing to donate to UrbanFit’s fundraiser should visit https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-urbanfit-gym-recover-from-flood-damage.
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