Consumer watchdog Holiday Which? has warned parents to make their own inspection of hotel swimming pools before they let their children go in following a spate of accidents in holiday resorts.
Last weekend a seven-year-old French boy died after getting sucked into a water pump in a paddling pool at a Club Med holiday centre in Greece. Earlier this week a nine-year-old British boy narrowly escaped drowning after his arm got caught in an uncovered filter in a hotel swimming pool in Gumbet, Turkey. Holidaymakers managed to free him and resuscitate him.
Holiday Which? research manager Anne Harvey said that while tour operators and hoteliers had a responsibility for making sure the pools conformed to safety regulations, parents should also remain vigilant.
'Adults should check depth markings by going into the water themselves. Sometimes the markings are painted on the edge of the pool, but they are not visible from the water,' said Harvey. 'They should also make sure children's hair is tied back so it doesn't get caught in water filters. Be aware of the lifeguard arrangements and check out where the rescue equipment is located.'
Another thing to watch out for is the distance between the children's pool and main pool. 'Sometimes they are very close together. One minute a child can be in two feet of water, the next they could find themselves jumping into water six feet deep,' she said.
Parents can also put their minds at rest by checking that suction caused by outlet pipes is not excessively strong and that outlets are securely covered with a fine grating.
Harvey highlighted a report by the TV series Package Holiday 2001 , which sent a water safety expert to inspect 11 hotel pools in Majorca. Seven of them caused him serious concern.
Last year the Federation of Tour Operators, which represents the UK's largest travel companies, recorded four deaths following swimming-pool accidents in hotels featured by members. 'This compares to approximately 400 swimming-pool drownings in this country every year,' said secretary general Alan Flook.
Flook said tour operators do conform to a code of conduct on hotel safety and regularly inspect swimming pools. But he argued that it was difficult for members to police overseas hotels, which only have to conform to local safety standards. The FTO is calling for a European-wide directive to force hotels to take more responsibility for the safety of their premises.
