This is the moment a gym-goer was booted out and barred - for wearing UGG boots.

Stephen Metcalf says he had been attending the Gym Group branch in Swindon in Wiltshire in the footwear for months - because of his cold feet.

But he was then told the Uggs were inappropriate for the fitness club by staff.

After filming himself challenging staff Stephen was told by email that his conduct had been "aggressive, abusive, intimidating, antisocial, [and] threatening" and his contract had been terminated."

In the video, Stephen said to the employee: "They are not flip flops. Where does it say [on the sign] that it's not appropriate? Where is the description of that?"

"If there's no description, you can't tell me that they're not appropriate. Flip flops are an open-toe shoe, yes? Ok, so are they [the uggs] an open-toe shoe?"

The member of staff said: "We have been told by management and our head office that if they are not in trainers, we have to refuse. I'm sorry. I'm only doing my job." "

Stephen responded: "It doesn't say trainers there. I'm saying no, that's not fair. What if I refuse to leave?"

The member of staff said: "Then I will have to call management and then the police."

Stephen replied: "Call management then please, call the management now, because that's bonkers."

Following the exchange, Stephen found out by email that he had had his contact terminated by the company for his 'abusive' tone.

He believes it was a 'stupid' decision and cannot see the difference with wearing ugg boots and others who take their footwear off to do exercises at the gym.

Stephen did not use any machinery, treadmills or bicycles, and stuck mainly to floor exercises like sit ups, pull ups and press ups.

He said: "I wear ugg boots all the time to keep my feet warm. I'd been going to the gym for a while using ugg boots because I get really cold feet."

"After a month or so, an employee came up to me and said that I was wearing inappropriate footwear and that I couldn't train."

"When I challenged him on the rules, saying that there were other people who had taken their shoes off to do exercise, he insisted that it breached their terms and conditions and that I would have to leave."

"I asked him what would happen if I refused to leave and he said he'd have to call the manager and then the police - over a pair of ugg boots."

"I told him that was a stupid and offensive thing to say."

"It's inappropriate and unfair to tell me once I've turned up at the gym that I can't work out, rather than tell me before."

The rules on the wall at the gym in Swindon say that inappropriate attire includes a ball-gown and flip-flops, but Stephen argued that his footwear was a closed shoe.

Following the exchange, Stephen researched the Gym Group's terms and conditions online. He found that it said that boots were not appropriate.

However, he says those boots are presumably wellington boots, work boots or football boots - not Uggs.

Stephen said: "When I was in Spain on holiday, I received another email saying that because I had breached their rules several times and used threatening behaviour towards staff that I was banned from the gym."

"So I asked for the direct debit payment back that they had just taken and they said no, even though I paid for a month at the gym the day after they banned me."

"If you're going to ban somebody, at least give them the chance to get their money back."

"People who I've known for six years from the gym said it was ridiculous. If I came in with boxing boots, or high top trainers is that ok? The rules are very ambiguous."

"If you're not using machinery or a treadmill or a bicycle, then what's the issue? They said that I was a danger to myself, and I said that it was my own personal danger and that I wasn't breaching any rules."

"They came back arguing that they couldn't risk being prosecuted for liability, to which I replied saying that they were exempt from the liability which it states clearly in their rules."

Stephen has now joined a more expensive, local gym in Faringdon where he lives.

A spokesperson for Gym Group said: "Our member rules help us to create safe, inclusive, and welcoming gym spaces, and include the behaviours we expect of our members, as well as the clothing and footwear that are not safe or practical to exercise in."

"We are clear that breaches of the rules may result in a membership cancellation."