Swimming pool regulations - any age limit?

[paolo]

A question for you swimming pool owners...

Do you still have to have an alarm/fence/cover if you only rent your house to people above a certain age? If so, what age is that?

A friend doesn't want to accept children under 7, and I am wondering if that would let her off the regs.

Thanks.

[Alan Knighting]

Paolo,

I regret to say that these swimming pool regulations apply no matter what the age of your visitors might be - even if your visitors never include children under the age of five.

In the preamble to the regulations it is said that they are intended to reduce deaths by drowning in private swimming pools of children under the age of five, but they do not go on to limit the effect of the regulations to private swimming pools used by children under the age of five.

The regulations have applied to pools at rental properties since the 1st May 2004 and will apply to all private pools from the 1st January 2006.

If you twist my arm very hard I will post my synopsis of the law. Another Forum I am a member of become almost totally devoted to this law and generated a lot of heated argument amongst the members. I don’t want to see this Forum go down a similar route. On the other hand it is an important topic. Not the least because the maximum fine for non-compliance is 45,000 €.

A personal note. I will absent for the next 7 days. A death in the family and a necessary return to the UK, the first in five years. Soodyer, you might like to know I will be staying in Milfield and the service will be in Kirknewton church – really local to you but there again so are all my roots.

Owners might like to think about this one. I booked Boulogne-Dover on-line through
http://www.speedferries.com/. The price for the car and up to six passengers was £25 each way. I’ll tell you what it was like when I get back.

Alan

[paolo]

Thanks Alan, I won't twist your arm (yet!). I'll advise her to get an alarm if she doesn't want a fence. Probably no system is foolproof, but if she only takes people who are old enough to swim well, it's more to comply with the law than save lives.

[Maggiem]

Owners might like to think about this one. I booked Boulogne-Dover on-line through
http://www.speedferries.com/. The price for the car and up to six passengers was £25 each way. I’ll tell you what it was like when I get back.

Alan

I don't want to hijack this thread, but we've travelled with Speedferries, and found them to be excellent. The boat-thingy may be old, and look a little tired, but the crossing only lasts 50 minutes, the staff are friendly, and it's CHEAP. Because we both suffer from sea-sickness we're travelling with BF in December, the cost is £220, and that's with my Owners Club discount! In our case, total travelling time is the same whichever route we take, obviously, we use more petrol going Dover-Boulogne, but can still make a considerable saving. Guess which route we're planning to use next year?
Maggie