Backstroke Ban

 Swimming pool bans backstroke

A local council has banned it’s swimmers from doing backstroke in the pool as it fears they could injure themselves if they collide.

Swimmers at the Daisyfield pool in Blackburn  have been told they can do only forward strokes during busy periods when the pool is divided into lanes officials said.

“This is not about threats of legal action ” said Kate Hollern of Blackburn and Darwen Council responsible for culture leisure and sport.

“We are simply limiting the times when people can swim backstroke to prevent dangerous collisions.

“We would expect that people would be concerned for their own safety as well as that of others so we are being proactive in introducing these rules.”

She said the new rules complied with guidelines issued by the national Institute of Sport and Recreation Management and were “designed be inclusive to ensure that all people can use our facilities in a safe way”.