A couple are locked in a battle with a fitness club chain after a £30,000 Rolex watch was stolen from a locker room.

Lee Briggs visited the David Lloyd health club in Kings Hill on June 6 this year to play tennis with his business partner.

He entered the locker room to get changed and stashed his Rolex in his shoe before putting it in a locker - securing it with a padlock bought from the club.

He was gone for 30 minutes but during that time the locker was broken into and the watch stolen.

Mr Briggs, 40, says he had only got the watch in February, having been on a waiting list for the limited edition timepiece.

Three months later, he and his wife Emma say they are still hoping for compensation from the gym.

Emma said: "It's not nice having something stolen that you worked so hard for and was on a waiting list to get."

The couple say a man was spotted acting suspiciously on CCTV at the time of the incident but he has not yet been identified.

To get into the club, visitors either need to have a membership ID to show to reception or sign in as a guest under the supervision of a member - two things the suspect didn't do, which Emma says was later confirmed by police.

In a message to the couple seen by KentOnline, police say investigating officers spoke with reception staff about a man who was waved through on the basis that he had just stepped out to take a call and had left his ID in the changing room.

The same suspicious man was also spotted on CCTV purchasing an item from the café.

Police hoped an identity could be found from his bank card but when they asked David Lloyd to check the transactions from that day it was unable to do so.

The couple, from Maidstone, are now hoping for some form of compensation from the fitness chain, accusing the club of negligence over the loss of the watch.

Mrs Briggs said: "I can't just enter the club with my husband as a guest without signing in so how has this person entered unchallenged? Had they not let him in, my husband would still have his watch.

"Not only did they let someone in but let him in with a dangerous weapon in bolt-cutters as the padlock was removed and taken.

"There's a nursery in there too with children so I just can't see how they can do that."

But the fitness chain has stated that it is not liable for loss of damage in its terms and conditions.

In it, the club states: "We do not accept liability for damage or loss to your property or a guest’s property that may happen on the premises or within the grounds of your club or any other David Lloyd Club, other than the liability which arises from our negligence or our failure to take reasonable care."

KentOnline has contacted the company several times for response but is yet to receive a comment.

The couple say they are in the process of claiming the loss of the watch on their home insurance but are still seeking legal advice.

David Lloyd has also placed notices in the facility warning other users of the recent issue.

Lee is now waiting another year on a separate waiting list for a new watch.

The couple say they paid £12,250 for the watch but that its price on the second hand market rose to £30,000.

The theft was reported to police and anyone with information should contact 01622 604100, quoting reference 46/108966/22.