A PRIVATE gym has been slapped with a £1,500 fine for failing to clear away large piles of rubbish dumped on its land.

David Lloyd Leisure Centre, in Greenford Road, Greenford, failed to comply with a formal litter clearing notice issued by Ealing Council in October last year.

Rubbish which still remained in February this year included a burned mattress, bicycle tyres, cardboard boxes and paint tins.

Centre manager Dominick Gooder pleaded guilty on behalf of the company at Ealing Magistrates Court on June 22.

The slip road which leads to the gym from Greenford Road and runs behind Sudbury Hill Tube station is a notorious spot for flytippers as it is concealed from the main road.

Fixed penalty notices were issued in December and February after later inspections found no effort had been made to remove the rubbish.

Mr Gooder told the court he has since employed a cleaning contractor to clear the site regularly.

The company was fined £1,000 and ordered to pay the council’s legal costs of just under £500.

Ealing’s environment chief Councillor Bassam Mahfouz said: “It was unacceptable to leave such an unsightly mess for so long and couldn't have been pleasant for the centre's neighbours or members.”