A bowling-mad man has been banned from every Megabowl in the country for life – following a RETWEET.
Former employee Tobbias Layhe, 21, Tweeted a local newspaper story about an employee who turned up to work at the alley with a handgun for “protection against Muslims.”
But Tobbias, who quit his job two weeks ago to pursue a career in caring, was bowled over when the firm wrote to him and banned him from all 32 UK Megabowl or Tenpin10 centres.
Tobbias worked in the Barnwood centre in Gloucestershire, where a 17-year-old employee took a Second World War handgun to work as protection in the wake of Drummer Lee Rigby’s murder.
He said: “I didn’t even make a comment in my tweet. I just saw the story pop up and, as I used to work there, I retweeted it.
“A couple of days later I received a letter from them. It said that I’m banned from every tenpin centre in the country for my ‘conduct’.”
Tobbias worked in the bar and reception during his 18 months at the bowling alley and even worked a week longer than his mandatory notice period to help them out.
The letter read: “You are no longer welcome at any tenpin bowling centre throughout the United Kingdom.
“The ban will remain in place indefinitely.”
The message Tobbias retweeted was posted on May 29 by the Gloucester Citizen newspaper and read: “Teen takes gun to bowling alley ‘as protection against Muslims’.”
Tobbias, of Longlevens, Glos., said: “They have now made me feel like I have done something wrong, but I haven’t. It is totally stupid and I feel embarrassed.
“I made a lot of friends during my time working there and now I can’t go in and see them because the letter says the police will be called if I go back because I would be trespassing.”
Tobbias’ furious mum Tracy Layhe said: “We couldn’t believe it when we saw the letter. He doesn’t even work for them anymore.
“It’s just ridiculous. All he did was retweet the story after it had been published.
“I know they must have some kind of policy, but the story was already in the public domain and he didn’t even pass comment on it.”
A tenpin spokesman said they were investigating, but declined to comment further