BURGLARS ransacked a female-only gym after levering open the fire exit door and then covering their tracks.

The forced entry at Bodywise Ladies in Gladstone Road, Farnworth, is part of a spate of break-ins in the area that included The D’Havilland Club on the same road and Highfield Hall Community Centre in Marsh Lane, Farnworth.

Police are investigating the burglaries which have occurred within the last month.

Bodywise Ladies owner Vicky Lea said: “It irritates me that they do this to people. They got in through the fire door.

“They removed bricks from the wall around the door and then levered the whole doorframe and door out.”

The culprits stole the CCTV hard drive, rifled through the kitchen cupboards and office, broke into the drinks vending machine and stole the takings and took a Bose set of speakers and a CD player that constituted the studio sound system.

They did not enter the swimming pool or gymnasium but smashed through a different fire exit to escape into the park.

Ms Lea, aged 41, said: “It looks like one of them had been in there before.”

“They gave gone through everything to find cash.

“They have not taken the computer or televisions off the wall.”

Bodywise Ladies, which opened three years ago, offers exercise classes and a woman’s only gym and a pool but needs children’s swimming lessons to remain viable so the forced closure of the business on Friday for the burglary clean-up has hit the firm’s income hard.

She said: “We had to cancel a swimming class for 34 children and my personal trainer had to cancel 10 client sessions so we have lost quite a lot of money.

“Not including the cost of replacing the drinks machine, we have lost about £1,500. I’m angry and upset.”

She said the way the intruders smashed their way in through the fire door resembled the burglary at The D’Havilland Club three weeks ago.

Highfield Hall Community Centre was targeted at 10.20pm on Sunday evening when a thief damaged doors to get in and steal a blue Dell laptop.

Labour Farnworth ward councillor Jean Gilles said: “I have just spoken to police and there were three burglaries overnight on Sunday.

“I can’t believe it. It’s terrible for Farnworth.”

Call police on 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.