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Swimmers have been banned from doing lengths in a pool because it is easier for lifeguards to supervise people swimming widths.
The decision at Dagenham pool has infuriated swimmers. Dean Bradford, who has been using the pool for more than 20 years, said: "The reason why I go to Dagenham pool is to swim the longer length. This is just the nanny state gone mad. It's another obstacle for people trying to get fit."
The pool is 33.3 metres long and 25 metres wide. Barking and Dagenham council, which runs the pool, said Olympic pools are 50 metres long and they have changed the swimming lanes to run width-ways to help people training for 50 metre and 100 metre events and free up more space in the shallow end of the pool for less confident swimmers.
A spokesman for the council said: "It's not about being a nanny state. It's easier for the staff and it's better swimming."
Reader views (27)
Council idiots trying to justify their jobs. The cost of this decision will be paid for in council tax by local residents, but it achieves nothing. In fact it removes the whole point of having a 33m pool.There's a 400m running track nearby, let's ban circuits and make runners do 500.shuttle runs across the eight lanes. Typica useless council.
- Martin, dagenham, 25/08/2009 22:12
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The pool should include everyone. The resolution should be based on those who are not even swimmers yet: if going the other direction means that more new swimmers are encouraged to come, then the experiment worked. If it doesn't make the sport less intimidating, if it doesn't enable the weak swimmer to feel greater accomplishment by reaching the end safely, the it didn't work - go back to the 33.3m distance which stronger swimmers prefer. Use this media exposure as a marketing tool to invite the new swimmer. Set up additional "first-timers" classes.
I've never seen the pool, but I take it there are some kind of pool floor lane lines in the 25m direction. If not, forget everything I just said - you just can't swim in tight lanes without a dividing line on the pool bottom!
- Tom Walker, Vancouver, BC, Canada, 05/08/2009 17:16
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Just who are these idiots,so full of their own importance
probably have never taken part in an egg and spoon race.thinking of themselves as seers but really not very bright at all.the end of all swimming clubs,no meaningful competition for youngsters
voters get rid of these idiots.
- D,Walsh, connahs quay, n,walesJ, 31/07/2009 12:19
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What if someone jumps into the pool and gets a wedgie - will the lifeguards pull it out?
- Trunk, US, 31/07/2009 06:06
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England is a "nanny" state? Try living in a "go to hell" country for a bit--you'll be flying back to nanny.
- Skip Waterhouse, la pointe, wi. USA, 31/07/2009 03:17
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Still waiting for the total ban on exercise because exercise causes injuries...
- Trunk, US, 31/07/2009 02:52
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No it's not better swimming! British swimmers didn't feature in the recent world swimming championships. Could the decision of this council be a contributory factor?
- Mark, Venice, Italy, 30/07/2009 22:30
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And prey, just what is the relevance of Local Authorities to sensible, mature people with the abilty to think? Has the alleged recession not yet hit the beloved state sector that we all enjoy paying for? Obviously not.
- Nelly, East London, 30/07/2009 17:49
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It's not H&S or the EU it's just lazy pubic sector employees. It's a service and should be run for the customer not for the convenience of the staff, simple.
- Mark, London, 30/07/2009 17:28
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Will the staff at the olympics be sufficient ? or will the swimmers have to swim widths - we stand a chance of winning something then !
- Michael, Woking, UK, 30/07/2009 16:54
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Good to see H & S not concerned about the water temp......................... yet!!!
- Ian - London, London, 30/07/2009 15:24
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Fitness and health don't come from splashing about in the shallow end or doing bombs in deeper water. It comes from sustained physical activity. With the push off from the sides, half the width is used up before the upper body comes into play in swimming widths instead of lengths.
So no, it isn't better for swimmers.
- Rogan, Irving, 30/07/2009 15:00
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My local pool is 25m and I find it quite frustrating to keep breaking my flow to turn around after such a short distance. Like a previous poster said, I do not understand how swimming widths makes it any easier for lifeguards, as surely it would mean more lanes if the pool was divided up lengthways, which would mean more observing rather than less.
Obviously another civil servant has too much time on their hands and wants to cause new issues for the taxpayer to have to appeal against.
- Smb, London, UK, 30/07/2009 13:21
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so if the swimmer in the middle lane of the newly re-arranged pool gets into trouble half way through the width is he/she any easier to get to than if he had been halfway down the length of the old format? No? Oh there's a surprise!
- Andy, london, 30/07/2009 13:14
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If you want to get seriously fit in the water you gotta increase the distance, hence we need more 50M pools, not the titchy paddling pools we seem to get now.
Is it any wonder nations like Aus & America woop us at swimming.
They take swimming far more serious and build proper pools.
- Russell, London, 30/07/2009 12:46
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typical attitude from the borough , had the chance recently to swim 100 yd open air pool in cambridge 6 lifeguards excellent. dagenham pool has been run down over the years at one time had a nice buffet that closed . were supposed to live in a 24/7 society yet the complex is closed by 21.30 mon to fri even earlier weekends local swim clubs unable to gain extra pool time staff wont open up early for them.
- Jon, dagenham, 30/07/2009 12:44
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Oh leave off, makes perfect sense.
They've just changed the direction of the lanes.
- Luke, Brixton, London, 30/07/2009 12:38
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I don't think the council has carried out a proper risk assessment on this situation. If they had been more thorough they would realise that it is the water that is slowing down the lifeguards. If they drain the water out of the pool the lifeguards could more quickly ‘run’ to the assistance of anyone in difficulty.
I would expect that this may also have the added benefit of actually ‘reducing’ the number of incidents that the lifeguards would have to deal with.
I don’t think BarkingMad and DangerMan council take there responsibility seriously enough. They should raise the council tax to allow them to employ more officials to carry clipboards to engage in sensible risk reduction on behalf of the clumsy public.
- Ben, London, W1, 30/07/2009 12:24
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H&S gone mad, will they shorten the pool for the Olympics now too, and while they're at it shorten the hurdles, put a baby's ball pit at the end of the long jump and make the Javelin, Discus and Shot out of rubber oooh, and a speed trap on the 100m to stop Usain Bolt getting all the glory!!!!!!!!!
- Mac Freak, London, 30/07/2009 12:10
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25 years ago I did my mile ribbon in this pool...in lengths.
Swimming shorter widths does not help with endurance training. A reasonable swimmer will cover a lot of the width pushing off, so where is the benefit to be gained?
This is a council, by the way, that has just introduced 10pm bin collections in residential areas (good for the sleeping kids) and regularly bends over for the criminal minority by removing amenites enjoyed by the law abiding majority because it is easier for them (the council) to deal with.
- Escobar A-Lop-Lop, Mad as hell and not taking it anymore..., 30/07/2009 11:36
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This cannot possibly be true. It's a joke, right? A place in a pool, as defined by its distance from the sides, and distance from the floor is the same whichever direction the swimming is heading in. This is GENUINELY stupid. Do the lifeguards think they have to swim a length rather than a width because that's what the swimmer did? Spanners, the lot of them. In fact, people this stupid shouldn't be life guards or in charge, in any way, of people's safety. Jobs like these require far more brain cells than demonstrated in this piece of in hosue legislations. It can't be true. Stupid people really irritate me.
- Ellie Kaye, London, UK, 30/07/2009 11:23
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They already used the phrase "gone mad" in the article!
- Julia, London, 30/07/2009 11:23
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What a lazy and narrow minded decision. It reflects pretty poorly on the level of lifeguards as well. England IS a nanny state and only getting worse. Can't wait for the 2012 Olympics - "Oh hello, isn't this pool a bit long? Why aren't we swimming widths?".
- John, London, 30/07/2009 11:08
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The council say it is easier for the staff and it's better swimming. The audacity of the council is incredible. Why not just close the pool? Surely that would be easiest of all for staff? And to state that it is "better swimming" is arrogant as it is not better for the actual swimmers, which is, after all, what a swimming pool is for. There is a deart of pools in London and 33m is not that long. I hope that Mr. Bradford doesn't let this go and involves his MP, if necessary.
- Ross, London, UK, 30/07/2009 11:06
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Seems reasonable.
- Geoff, London, 30/07/2009 10:58
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3x33.3m is near enough 100m! I cannot see the East End benefiting from the Olympic legacy if this is the attitude. This confirms that you have to fail the interview and an intelligencre test to get a job with a council.
- Michael, London, 30/07/2009 10:12
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First person to use the phrase "...Gone Mad" in a comment on this article wins a prize.
- Nolan, Londonist, 30/07/2009 09:07
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