A gym membership offer has been criticised for asking people to claim the New Year deal on days when Wiltshire’s leisure centres were shut.

DC Leisure, which operates the county’s leisure centres for Wiltshire Council, promised a discounted gym membership for £20.12 to those who contacted them on January 1, 2 and 3.

The facilities were, however, closed on the first two days because of the holidays and callers only got through to an answering machine.

Wiltshire councillor Jon Hubbard, for Melksham South ward, said: “I phoned to enquire about the membership deal only to discover you couldn’t because they were closed for business.

“The cheap deal was available for only three days at the start of January, but for two of these days Wiltshire’s leisure centres were completely shut as a result of cuts to frontline services by this council’s administration.”

A glossy flyer about the deal was distributed to homes across the county.

The company sent out text messages on the afternoon of January 3 to potential customers, saying: “Kick start your New Year resolution! Join for £20.12 – offer extended to January 6. Text or phone to take advantage. Take our fitness membership for only £20.12 with nothing more to pay until 1st February. To take advantage of this special offer you must call or email us on 1st, 2nd or 3rd January 2012.”

Nick Moran, area manager for DC Leisure in Wiltshire, said: “Those interested in the offer only needed to register their interest in the offer by the third and they could have done this by leaving a message on the leisure centre’s answering machine or emailing the team. We would then have contacted them before the seventh.”