A man has been charged with breaching a court order after officers attended a gym and found 10 people training inside.

Steven Todd, 56, of Chapel Hill, Longridge, has been charged with remaining on/entering premises in contravention of a closure order.

In February Preston Magistrates Court granted a three-month closure order on Reps Gym, Ribbleton, Preston, along with £9,098.15 in costs, following an application by Preston City Council.

Police, accompanied by environmental health officers from the council closed the premises, making attempts to access the site illegal while the order remained in place.

On Wednesday, police were called at around 6.45pm following a report that people were inside the gym on the Roman Way Industrial Estate.

A 56-year-old man was arrested on Thursday morning on suspicion of breaching a closure order and was charged on Friday.

In addition, 10 individuals were issued with £200 fines for breaching Covid regulations.

Chief Inspector Sue Bushell from Preston Police said: “As the restrictions are easing we are keen to remind people that we need to continue to act in accordance with the regulations as they stand and we will continue to take robust action on any individuals who are not adhering to them.

“We must stress that while we are continuing to spend most of our time dealing with crime and keeping people safe, breaches of Covid regulations take us away from that. We continue to be immensely grateful to those who are following the law and are doing their bit to keep everybody safe.”