Council responds after grandmother raises concerns about Biggleswade's Saxon Pool and Leisure Centre

The 67-year-old customer visited last week (August 29) with her seven-year-old grandson, but claims they were refused entry to the pool because there were not enough lifeguards available.

But, when she questioned why there were people swimming, despite the alleged lack of staff, she claims she was not given an answer.

However, Central Bedfordshire Council (CBC) says the pool was fully staffed "as per our pool safety procedures".

The woman told the Chronicle: "I promised my grandson we would go there, but she [the employee] said 'you can't go in'.

"I said, 'No it's still open'. But she replied that they hadn't got enough lifeguards.

"My little grandson couldn't understand why there were people inside, but we weren't allowed to go in."

The Biggleswade resident claims that there had been a sign to notify customers, but it wasn't well advertised, as she came in from a different entrance.

She claimed: "This is the third time something has happened."

The grandmother claims that she previously visited this summer and paid for one-hour's swim with her grandson, only to be told to leave after just half an hour "for no reason".

She also alleges that during another recent visit, she was swimming in the pensioners' lane, when she and her fellow swimmers were asked to move to a busier lane, as theirs was needed for a lesson.

The lady claimed: "The other lane was so packed; it was too busy. I'm disabled and I was losing confidence. There were kids jumping in. We felt uncomfortable and I left after five minutes.

"But when I looked [in our old lane] there were only two people in it, and they were only using half the lane; we could have stayed in the other half."

The woman added: "The leisure centre certainly not very well managed and my grandson now thinks the people at the leisure centre don't like him. He doesn't understand why things keep getting cancelled."

A CBC spokesman said: "The safety of our users is paramount, and we always run all of our Leisure Centre swimming pool sessions with the correct number of lifeguards required.

“On Monday 29 August at 3pm, a fun session was running in the pool. This was fully staffed as per our pool safety procedures.

"The number of pool lifeguards required is calculated by looking at the amount of pool space available and the number of bathers in the pool, so at times, the number of bathers allowed into the pool may be restricted. These pool restrictions have been implemented on occasions, since late spring, usually due to lifeguard sickness and we apologise for any inconvenience.

"The site team will always try to ensure customers are notified of pool restrictions or closures at the centre’s reception, through email and social media platforms. Pool closures, which may be due to pool management, reflect the importance we put on the health and safety of our residents and users.

"We are committed to providing a first-class swimming experience for all of our users."

For background, the spokesman added: "The site has a pool safety operating procedure (PSOP) which highlights the number of lifeguards needed for each pool session to operate, this is in line with the Royal Life Saving Society (RLSS) guidance.

"As with many industries, the leisure industry has struggled to recruit staff since coming back from Covid lockdowns. There are currently lifeguard job vacancies available at Saxon pool.

"Swimming pool closures can happen for a variety of reasons outside of just staffing of which these are guided by PWTAG (Pool Water Treatment Advisory Group)."