One in four Poms pee in public pools

A survey of United Kingdom consumers has found that one in four people admit to having urinated in a public swimming pool.

The survey, conducted by swimming teaching and lifesaving organisation STA, found that men between the ages of 18-34 were noted as the most common offenders, with one in ten people altogether choosing to confess that they had undertaken the act deliberately.

STA commissioned the online public survey, which sought the views of 2,013 people, to help understand the hygiene habits of pool users, with the main questions covering pool user's understanding of pre-swim showers and the rules of using swimming pools after an upset stomach.

The survey also concluded that a quarter of pool users do not take a pre-swim shower, while one in five claimed that they would return to use a swimming pool within 48 hours of suffering from an upset stomach.

More than half of respondents said centre management did not provide sufficient hygiene information at the poolside.

The research was conducted by Opinium for STA's Rules for Pools and Rules for Clean Pools public education campaign. Following the research, STA says that the findings clearly demonstrate how crucial it is for the UK aquatic industry to "connect the dots" on issues surrounding hygiene, through better education and effective pool plant training.

In 2009, a US study found that one in five Americans admitted to peeing in public swimming pool.

The survey, conducted by the USA's Water Quality and Health Council found that almost half (47%) of the subjects admitted to one or more behaviors that contribute to an unhealthy pool. These included:

About one-third (35%) didn't shower before entering the pool;

63% were unaware of illnesses associated with swallowing, breathing or having contact with contaminated pool water.

Less than one in four considered the frequency of pool cleaning and chemical treatment (23%) and even less (16%) thought about chlorine levels to maintain clean pool water.

STA's UK survey was published days after Olympic swimming gold medallist Rebecca Adlington - appearing in the latest series of the TV show 'I'm a Celebrity, Get Me Out of Here' - admitted that she 'always' pees in swimming pools. Her admission quickly generated considerable reaction on social media.

Australasian Leisure Management is unaware if comparable research has been undertaken in Australia.

Image included for illustrative purposes only.

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