Midnight leap into hot water
A Feilding school principal has issued a safety warning after walking in on a group of teenagers having a late-night swim in her school pool.
Diane Crate says teenagers, who climb over the fence at Feilding Intermediate as late as midnight, could fall and injure themselves or even drown.
In the most recent case, Crate disrupted a group of five or six at 9.30pm on Sunday. The group had a portable speaker and played music so loud that it could be heard from the school’s car park about 200 metres away, she said.
‘‘They weren’t very secretive about it.’’
People had jumped the pool’s fence ‘‘occasionally’’ for years. But this summer had been especially hot, so that could be why it was happening more frequently, Crate said.
The teenagers often scampered back over the fence and ran off as Crate was unlocking the padlock. Although, one group caught in the act said they also frequently jumped the fence at the Makino Aquatic Centre in Feilding.
Kids access the pool by climbing over a 2-metre high fence.
Ministry of Education regulations prevented the school from extending the fence or installing barbed wire, but the school’s board of trustees was to consider possible solutions at its meeting last night.
Residents close to the school alerted police last week after hearing the iron fence fray and fold under the teenagers’ weight, Crate said.
Although the fence was largely in good condition, it showed signs of damage in patches.
A police spokesperson said they were aware of youths jumping the fence and, if caught, they would likely receive a trespass notice.
‘‘There are a lot of health and safety issues with school pools,’’ Crate said.
‘‘You’ve got kids climbing over and swimming without any supervision.
‘‘If we cover the pool, they’ll either take the cover off or swim under the cover. That’s really dangerous.
‘‘Currently, we’re not in a position to make the pool open to the public.’’
If it continued, Crate said the school could be forced to empty the pool. Pupils use the pool for swimming classes every day of the summer terms.