Goggles: Potential death trap
Leicester City Council has banned the use goggles at a recent swimming event in the county.
Participants at the Aqua Splash Festival had their goggles confiscated when they arrived at the Hermitage Leisure Centre in Whitwick, Coalville, Leicestershire.
The half-term holiday event was aimed at children aged between 5 and 11 years old and organised by the North West Leicestershire Schools Sports Partnership in conjunction with the local council.
The decision follows in the footsteps of vowel-challenged Ysgol Bryn Coch junior school, in Mold, north Wales, which introduced a similar ban earlier in the year.
A spokesperson for Leicester City Council said ‘Goggles can carry risks and there is little medical benefit to be had from them,’ astutely adding ‘which is presumably why you never see any serious swimmers wearing goggles’.
Although a specific ban on swimming costumes was not mentioned on this occasion, many fear that it is only a matter of time before similar insurmountable risks come to light. The widespread use of water in swimming pools is also said to be ‘under review’.
