Totnes residents are fuming at the state of a local leisure centre amid reports of filthy changing rooms, slime-covered floors and mouldy shower walls.

The Totnes Leisure Centre, which boasts a swimming pool, sauna and gym, received a deluge of complaints on Facebook after a customer, Tiffy Hammonds, posted a comment with some unsightly photos of the complex.

Customers have complained of slimy floors
Customers have complained of slimy floors (Steve Yendor (Facebook))

Ms Hammonds said she “braved” a visit to the leisure centre and found that the showers were filthy, with black mould up the walls and chewing gum and hair clogging a drain.

She said a “strange black substance” had been splashed against a changing room partition, adding that it was so dirty “it looked like Chewbacca (from Star Wars) had shaved in the corner”.

More than 100 people on the social media site echoed Ms Hammonds’ experience.

A customer said “it looked like Chewbacca (from Star Wars) had shaved in the corner”
A customer said “it looked like Chewbacca (from Star Wars) had shaved in the corner” (Tiffy Hammonds )

Lauren Jukes said: “I won’t ever step foot in there again! The last time I did the floors were so slimey (sic), I had to actually hold onto walls to stop myself from falling. Not only that but the smell made me feel like I was going to throw up.”

Jackson Noor commented: “It's been disgusting for years. We absolutely have the right to expect it to be hygienically and visibly clean.”

Lauren Bentley went further, complaining to staff about finding a lidless bin full of used sanitary pads, only to return two hours later to see it still there.

Sara Mills said she has been put off going for good following her last experience.

Speaking to this paper, she said: “I've been going for about five years. I stopped because it was so dirty. I recently started going again, but not anymore, because the last time it was really filthy, with hair and stuff on the floor – and there was only one working toilet. It's just just not sanitary at all.”

South Hams District Cllr Victor Abbott, who heads community and leisure services, said he had not been made aware of the problems in Totnes, but commented that the centre in Ivybridge “does get untidy at times”.

Fusion Lifestyle, the firm that runs Totnes as well as the centres in Kingsbridge, Dartmouth and Ivybridge, has been in hot water in recent years over the management of its leisure facilities.

In February 2022, Southend Council cancelled its contract with Fusion following reports that the local complex was at risk of falling into dangerous disrepair.

Black mould on walls, which is also a health hazard, has also been reported
Black mould on walls, which is also a health hazard, has also been reported (Sara Mills)

In October this year, Haringey Council in London formally pulled the plug on Fusion after a number of incidents at its leisure centres, including a chlorine gas leak in 2019 that resulted in four people being admitted to hospital.

Asked to comment on the centre in Totnes, a spokesperson for Fusion issued a statement, saying: “Fusion is working with key stakeholders to provide a better facility for the community of Totnes.

“We have an operational plan in place to improve things and are working hard to deliver this. We would like to thank the community for their patience as these improvements are made.”