Council backs child swimming ban

Mrs Townsend is an experienced lifeguard

A council has defended a decision not to allow a lifeguard and her husband to take their three children into a swimming pool amid safety fears.

Keren and David Townsend claim they were kept out of the Bridgwater pool because of safety regulations.

Experienced lifeguard Mrs Townsend, of Weston-super-Mare, pleaded with managers to bend the rules.

But a Sedgemoor District Council spokesman said children under five must be supervised on a one-to-one basis.

'Extra adults'

Mrs Townsend took her children Ethan, five, Caitlin, two and Alyssa, one, to the Sedgemoor District Council-run pool in March.

She said the council's attitude could deprive children of the chance to learn to swim.

"You can't take young children into the pool unless you can find extra adults, but you need to get youngsters in the pool as early as possible," she told BBC News.

"But what they are saying with a blanket ban is - once they are eight they can go in one their own but they won't be able to swim then.

"You have to have management discretion in these situations and my children are all water confident."

A Sedgemoor District Council spokesman said children under five had to be supervised on a one-to-one basis.

He said: "Sedgemoor Splash is a fun pool, not a traditional 'tank' lane swimming pool.

"The Child Admission Policy is designed to protect the safety of all visitors. This policy is based on guidance offered by the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management and is recognised as an approved code of practice."