Father threatened with police... for paying to swim with old £1 coin
A FATHer and his twoyear- old son were threatened with police action after they tried to pay a swimming pool entry fee with an old £1.
Staff tried to turn away Michael Bury when he handed over the coin, but he defied them.
His son Milo was singing ‘swim,
swim, swim’ and would have been very upset if they had left. But after entering the pool, staff told Mr Bury they would call the police if he didn’t get out.
That was despite the fact he swims at The Hydro in Harrogate, North Yorkshire, five times a week and promised to pay them the next day. On Monday the married father-of-one took Milo for a 30-minute swim session.
He has been a member at the council-run pool for six months.
The receptionist asked him to pay a £1 entry fee for his son, but he did not have any change apart from an old £1 coin.
He was reminded the coin had stopped being legal tender on Sunday, October 15, but carried on into the pool area anyway. Mr Bury, 42, said: ‘I didn’t have any money on me except my locker £1 which was old. My son was very excited about getting in the pool.
‘The lady behind the desk said I couldn’t go in. I told her that by the time I got home and got a new £1 I would miss the session.
‘I asked her if I could pay with a new one tomorrow. She said no. She then asked her manager. Her manager said no.
‘I said, ‘‘Can I leave my membership card and pay tomorrow?’’ She still said no.
‘I was quite surprised when the manager was called but I was expecting them to be reasonable. They were completely inflexible.
‘I told them I’m going in regardless. When I changed to enter the pool the lifeguards had shut the gate to stop me going in.
‘I explained what had happened to them, they thought it was ridiculous and let me through.
‘My toddler was so happy in the pool, but then the manager re- appeared and told me if I didn’t get out she would phone the police.
‘Fortunately, by that time we had had our full half-an-hour in the pool and left. But I spent the entire time thinking the police were going to come in and arrest us, for the sake of £1. I paid the £1 the next day.
‘I’m teaching my son to swim and if I had a choice I would not go there any more, but there are no other swimming facilities nearby.’
A Harrogate Borough Council spokesman said: ‘In cases such as this, the site would normally attempt to make arrangements to collect payment at a later point.
‘We’re sorry if there has been a misunderstanding.’