Fitness facilities have been urged by the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) to check the legality of their contract terms, following a High Court ruling against a management company.

On 27 May, Ashbourne Management Services was told not to use certain terms or "unfair practices" in a case brought against it by the OFT following customer complaints. Ashbourne was directed to write to its 700+ clubs to ensure the facilities complied with the ruling, with the OFT now calling on sites to check that their contract terms are lawful.

Cavendish Elithorn, senior director of the OFT Goods and Consumer Group, said: "[We] urge gyms that use similar contracts that they should review their customer contracts for fairness. "Gym companies should also be aware that trying to enforce illegal contract terms is a breach of the law and in certain circumstances they may have a duty to notify customers where their contract terms have been found to be illegal."