A POOL official today spoke of his anger after three drunken yobs leapt into the water fully clothed just metres from where young swimmers were taking a lesson.
A POOL official today spoke of his anger after three drunken yobs leapt into the water fully clothed just metres from where young swimmers were taking a lesson.
The unruly trio barged their way through parents standing in the reception area of Fore Street pool in Ipswich and brazenly jumped into the shallow end - landing close to where nine and ten year olds were learning to swim.
Robert Bridgeman, duty officer at the pool, said the children and their parents were horrified by the sudden disruption at the normally quiet pool.
He said: “I was near the reception area pottering around my office when three youths up to about 20 years old, two boys and a girl, came and stood at the door.
“They stood there for a few minutes, then the next minute they barged through the parents stood in the reception area and jumped into the pool.
“It was outrageous. Luckily enough no one was hit by them.”
One parent whose child was at the pool said: “They were very lucky they didn't kill anyone or break their own necks. This was terrifying for the children.”
As the parents rushed their children out of the pool, Mr Bridgeman, who has been an Ipswich Borough Council employee for 20 years, called 999 but did not hesitate from giving the interlopers a piece of his mind.
He said: “I'm glad they didn't hurt anyone. They didn't even look to see whether anyone was in there when they jumped in.
“As soon as they barged in I was at the door dialling 999 and yelling at them to get out.
“It was horrible for everyone but they just laughed. One of them definitely smelled of alcohol.
“I wasn't prepared just to stand around. I chased them out of the building and followed them up the road.”
The disruption happened on Wednesday at about 7.15pm. Police later caught up with the trio and took them back to the pool to apologise. They have now been banned from returning.
n Have yobs affected your life? Write to Your Letters, Evening Star, 30 Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, IP4 1AN, or e-mail eveningstarletters@eveningstar.co.uk.
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