It is not unreasonable to expect a gym locker to be a safe place to leave your valuables during a workout.
However, for Andrew Masters, he claims this was not the case.
Mr Masters, 64, said an £8,000 Rolex watch stolen from his locker as he exercised at a David Lloyd gym, along with more than £100 in cash from his wallet.
Mr Masters, who lives in France but regularly returns to the UK, said the items were taken from a locker at the Hampton branch of the luxury gym on the afternoon of April 23, 2025.
He said the locker – secured with a key-operated padlock provided by David Lloyd – was wide open when he returned from a short workout, with both the watch and money missing.
Mr Masters, a member of the Hampton branch since February 2025, pays just under £4,000 a year for a ‘platinum’ membership, which he shares with his partner.
After reporting the incident to David Lloyd – whose response he described as indifferent – he has now taken the branch to the small claims court, seeking to recover the full cost of the watch and the cash stolen from his wallet, approximately £8,000, €50 and £60 respectively.
Mr Masters claims the gym was negligent and failed in its duty of care to customers.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, Mr Masters said: ‘I went to the gym that day, probably around 12.45pm. I went to the changing rooms and put my things in a locker.
Andrew Masters (pictured) had an £8,000 Rolex watch stolen from his locker as he exercised at a David Lloyd gym, along with more than £100 in cash from his wallet
Mr Masters had his Rolex watch (pictured) for 32 years and planned to pass the item down as a family heirloom to his son before it was stolen
‘I put my watch in the trouser pocket of my jeans and on the top of that, some tissues and my car keys. I then rolled my jeans up and put them at the back of the locker and placed my wallet on top.
‘Before I left the changing room, there didn’t seem to be anyone in there. I wasn’t out for long – 30 or 40 minutes maximum doing a quick workout.
‘During the workout, I then realised I wanted to go and get something out of my locker and went down to it.
‘However, when I arrived the locker was wide open. At first, I thought ‘Oh God, was that me? Am I just getting old or something?’
‘I immediately went into the pocket of my trousers and the watch wasn’t there. I then opened my walled and £50 and 60 quid in cash had gone. There was also no sign of the padlock – which was supplied by David Lloyd – to secure the locker.’
Mr Masters then went to reception to report that his locker had been opened and his watch and cash stolen.
He asked staff to call the police, but says he was told it was ‘not their job’ and that he would have to do so himself.
Mr Masters said: ‘The attitude of the staff after the theft was totally blasé. One staff member did come into the changing room with me to take a look.
Mr Masters said there were no signs at the David Lloyd gym (pictured) warning against leaving valuables – only a sign saying taking pictures is prohibited
‘He said he would take a look at the CCTV footage and get back to me, which they did the next evening, and said they could find nothing suspicious on the footage.
‘They said they would send the CCTV onto the police and that I could not see it.
‘I had an email from the assistant manager the next day apologising for my inconvenience and reiterating that nothing suspicious was found on their CCTV.’
Shortly afterwards, Mr Masters said he received an email from David Lloyd’s headquarters confirming they were looking into the incident, along with brief correspondence about insurance.
However, with no resolution offered by David Lloyd – and the watch not covered by insurance due to it being a theft at the gym – Mr Masters decided to take legal action.
He is now pursuing the club through the small claims court for the full cost of the watch – lost under their watch – as well as the stolen cash.
Mr Masters said: ‘I’ve really heard nothing from the gym apart from after we decided to go through small claims.
‘I took my time with the claim, and delivered it to them around Christmas last year – eight months after the theft.
Mr Masters (pictured) is hoping to receive the full cost of his watch back from David Lloyds Clubs
‘We are suing David Lloyd for negligence, as the day of the theft it came to light that their IT systems were down, so they did not know who was entering and exited the gym.
‘Also, when I highlighted that it was a lock supplied by David Lloyd that was broken into, they said that just because they sold me the padlock, it does not mean the locker is actually safe.
‘They are defending everything.’
Mr Masters’ claim is currently at the allocation stage, where a judge assigns defended cases – typically under £10,000 – to the small claims track.
He hopes the process will force the club to reimburse the full cost of his watch and the stolen cash.
But the loss of the Rolex is about more than money for Mr Masters – carrying personal significance that cannot be replaced.
Mr Masters said: ‘I had this watch for 32-and-a-half years and bought it as a belated thirtieth birthday present.
‘So, it has sentimental value and was the one thing my older son hoped I passed down to him.’
And when asked if David Lloyd Clubs handled the theft of such a significant item seriously, he added: ‘I feel very let down by David Lloyd, particularly the branch at Hampton.
‘There are no signs in the locker room that warns against leaving valuables.
‘Other gyms, and other David Lloyd branches that I have used do have big signs all throughout the changing rooms reading, ‘do not leave your valuables in your lockers.’
‘I am still a David Lloyd member, however, will not be bringing any items of value in future.’
A spokesperson for David Lloyd Clubs said they are ‘very sorry to hear’ about Mr Masters’ experience.
They said: ‘We take the safety and security of our members and their belongings extremely seriously, and we are sorry to hear about Mr Masters’ experience.
‘We always work closely with both members and the police, taking a proactive approach where we are aware of any incidents and supporting investigations.
‘As this matter is now subject to legal proceedings, it would not be appropriate to comment further at this time.’
Yet unfortunately, Mr Masters’ experience is not an isolated incident at David Lloyd Clubs.
It follows a string of other thefts reported at the gym’s sites across Britain.
The Mail recently reported the case of dentist Amir Savage, who had an £18,000 limited-edition Rolex ‘Pepsi’ stolen from a locker at a David Lloyd branch in Farnham.
Dr Savage said the watch was taken while he relaxed in the gym’s sauna, and added that customers paying such high membership fees do not expect their valuables to be stolen with apparent impunity.
He said: ‘It is a case of this should have been prevented by the gym.
‘You don’t expect to go to a gym, put your wallet, your credit cards, and your watch in a locker, and with a lock that’s supplied by the company, only for it to be picked.
‘Going forward, I’m not going to bring anything of value at all to any gym, because it’s just not worth that risk.’
