IT'S been described as health and safety gone mad.

Bournemouth's leisure centres have been banned from lending armbands and rubber rings to swimmers because it's against professional guidelines.

The industry rules are designed to protect swimmers from "risks" such as catching germs from blowing up water wings by mouth.

The Littlewood, Stokewood and Kinson swimming pools would only have been able to lend the inflatables if they followed a list of rules which would probably need a full-time member of staff to deal with.

Reasons for the ban include the lack of stringent hygiene rules, inspection programmes, written guidelines and other policies at the council-run centres.

Parents and staff have branded the ban as "nonsense".

One dad who regularly takes his children to Stokewood said the ban was "mad".

"Yes, there are germs when different people inflate the same arm bands and rubber-rings but the time-honoured practice of mums and dads blowing these up - much to the excitement of toddlers - has been going on for decades, without people keeling over from contagious illnesses."

He said the move was "a blow against common sense".

He added: "What next? Ban children who cannot prove they are toilet trained?"

Geoff Messenger, leisure marketing manager for the centres, said he was forced to introduce the ban after an auditor noticed they were lending armbands out at Stokewood Road and said it was against the rules of the Institute of Sports and Recreation Management.

"We are sorry that we are not able to do this any more," he told the Daily Echo.

"It was just about being nice to the customers who had forgotten to bring arm bands for their children.

"We wanted to help them out, rather than make them buy a new pair, but the regulations make it too difficult for us to do it."

In order to lend inflatables to customers, Mr Messenger was told each centre must:

  • Implement a daily inspection programme to check for faulty valves and to ensure there are no punctures.
  • Put a hygiene and cleansing scheme in place to deal with any issues arising from different people blowing them up.
  • Introduce a formal replacement policy for faulty equipment.
  • Provide written instructions and guidelines for staff about how to deal with issues related to inflatables.
  • Create a policy to ensure arm bands of the right size are issued and parents are given specific instructions about how to use them.