KEEP-fit fans are still desperate to track down hundreds of pounds in membership fees after the company running Active Images gym, in Northwich, went into liquidation.

The gym, on Leicester Street, closed more than a month ago and a creditors' meeting to recover any available cash was scheduled for December 14.

But according to Salford receivers Crawfords, members will not be on the list of creditors - because they paid fees through a separate company owned by the same man.

A trading standards spokesman added: "Members cannot be considered as creditors of the company Active Leisure Mobberley Limited, which ran the Northwich gym, because their membership payments were made to a separate company called Membership Collections Ltd." Company House, in Cardiff, confirmed that Active Leisure Mobberley Ltd and Membership Collections were both companies under gym owner Gerry Godfrey's name.

Several weeks ago Mr Godfrey claimed he was trying to honour memberships and secure jobs at his former company's Northwich and Mobberley gyms.

A buyer has agreed to take over the Mobberley gym - but Mr Godfrey has been unavailable to answer enquiries about further developments surrounding the Northwich gym.

Former Northwich member Steve Barker said: "We want to know what is going on because we are still very much in the dark."