Forres resident unhappy about 39 Engineer Regiment hiring fast lane at Forres Swimming Pool
An experienced local swimmer is calling on the army to leave Forres Swimming Pool to the paying public.
Dave Levon was disappointed to discover that 39 Engineer Regiment has block-booked the fast lane on Wednesday afternoons - a slot the FitLife member has enjoyed for years.
The 62-year-old explained: “I go to the pool to boost my mental health so being restricted there doesn’t help.
“The army has hired the fast lane, meaning that other attendees who swim fast - some of whom train for competition - are being forced in with slower swimmers. It’s frustrating and minimises our choice of stroke.
“The army should use the narrow inner (medium) lanes as other more competent swimmers do strokes which take up more room.”
He added: “Surely a public pool should be exactly that, not a private pool for hire. We the public pay for it through our FitLife memberships or entrance fee.”
Forres Swimming Pool public session lane sessions offer one slow and one fast lane outside, and two medium speed lengths in the middle of the baths.
Dave claims the average four or five attending forces personnel using the lane are poor swimmers.
“They paddle up and down,” he said, “mostly doing breast stroke so it’s effectively a wasted lane. They’re in to relax rather than swim lengths. They also leave the lane empty while they spend a lot of the time in the steam room or sauna.
“The soldiers attend on Wednesday afternoons - if their session was early in the morning or later at night there would be no problem. Why punish more dedicated swimmers?”
Dave also believes the knock-on effect of the public’s loss of a lane could lead to an accident.
He said: “For example, you can’t do butterfly for example in a slow narrow lane as you will take the head of somebody! Safety should be paramount - mixing the competencies of swimmers is an accident waiting to happen.
“There has been little thought from the swimming pool management into this.”
Forres Swimming Pool is a Moray Council-run facility.
A spokesperson said: “One lane at the pool has been hired for private use, for a maximum of two hours on a Wednesday afternoon only. The remainder of the pool is available for public use during this time.”
The swimming pool at 39 Engineer Regiment’s Kinloss Barracks is awaiting refurbishment, hence the use of alternative facilities.
An Army Spokesperson said: “There is currently an agreement in place with the local authority to use Forres pool.
“Service personnel do so under the same terms as any other members of the public, including hiring lanes.”
She added: “Kinloss Barracks regularly lease their recreational areas to local clubs and activity groups and are an active part of the community.”
