Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Other subjects
Original poster

Remember my naked photograph incident at my local pool? Well............

93 replies

Northerner · 11/08/2006 11:05

The council have responded to my letter and are basically fobbing me off. They say it is impossible to man the changing rooms as they don't have teh staff or the money, they can not ban mobile phones as it is too difficult and I was not offered any support or comfort by their staff because I didn't appear to be upset.

FFS my son and I had just seen a man peering over our cubilcle and take a picture of me naked - did they think I'd be delighted FFS.

They have not mentioned any procedure being implemented to prevent this in future and still have not offerred me my money back. So i STILL paid for the pivelage of being perved on.

I am so

What should I do next because I simply can not let this lie.

TIA

OP posts:
Original poster
Northerner · 11/08/2006 11:51

Yorkshirelass I've just seen Yorkigirls thread in Bereavement topic

OP posts:
yorkshirelass79 · 11/08/2006 11:52

Message withdrawn

Freckle · 11/08/2006 11:57

How about contacting Health and Safety? Your personal safety is potentially at risk and H&S would be keen to see that the management take all reasonable steps to ensure that this doesn't happen again.

AvaLou · 11/08/2006 11:57

Thats just awful. My friend had a picture taken up her skirt on the tube escalator quite late at night and it really shook her up. The police were not remotely interested and the person she has been dealing with at London Transport said it happens fairly often and there isn't much they can do.
It's a very scary infringement on our rights, and another case of the law having not caught up with technology. Apparantly, there are websites where people 'share' photographs they have taken in this way, it makes me feel ill.
I hope you have more success fighting this.Especially for it to happen at a public swimming baths which are always full of children.

Tortington · 11/08/2006 12:21

ask for a copy of their OFFICIAL complaints policy and form.

your letter may never even be registered as an official complaint.

only when things become official do senior managmnt types look at a report and get involved.

be realistic about what you want the outcome to be.

they may well not be able to man the changing rooms
but a sign as suggested is a realistic outcome in my opinion.

a letter of apology regarding the tone of the letter you recieved is also a must

you must be in constant contact with the police, keep on their backs becuase obviously more inportnant things come up and this will be forgotten.

i also think if you are on the war path. you should call the papers give them the reply and tell them ( as suggested earlier) that you will be outside the swimming pool - giving out flyers on tuesday at 10am should they want to come and take pictures for an article.

AlienEars · 11/08/2006 12:25

Would it be possibly to modify the cubicles - are they the right shape? If you have an easy remedy surely that makes it even worse that they are sitting back saying there is nothing that they can do.

Our local pool had to put an extra couple of feet of boarding above the changing rooms when they installed the water slide - apparently if you were at the top of the steps you could see right into the family changing cubicles...

WatTylermoonfiend · 11/08/2006 12:30

I've told loadsa people that this happened (not mentioning you persoanlly of course) and I also added that I had got the impression that the pool didn't seem to give a toss. Which shocks me more than the original incident in a way. I have actually been put off going there after hearing about this, so i wonder whather I - and a few others perhaps? - should write to the Hydro and Kevin Douglas at the council, saying that until assurances that they are taking this seriously are given, I will be avoiding the place.

WatTylermoonfiend · 11/08/2006 12:35

agree with someone's post about at least them putting posters up warning that this has happened!
Let me know if you want me to write BTW, am sure i could drum up a couple of other 'irate and worried ' mothers to write too

Quootiepie · 11/08/2006 12:40

This man could be taking pictures of children... I cant believe its not being taken more seriously!

WatTylermoonfiend · 11/08/2006 12:46

The irony is, this council will 'find' a staff member to come and stop you taking a photo of your own baby in the water (as it is against their 'policy') but yet, cannot find the staff to give a shit when this happens.

TBH I had a huge run in twith htis pool several years ago when the water heater broke down in the baby pool. They didn't tell us when we paid to swim. 10 mins in the water and both my boys were blue and shaking, so we got dressed, went out and complained and asked for our money back. T
he staff were very uninterested, unhelpful and rude. No money back was forthcoming. I had to write to Council and then 3 months after, got a 'free swim coupon' (no apology [anger])

And when we went to use that, some child shat in the pool - and they just scooped it out and expected everyone to keep swimming in it!!!

It was years before I went back....

TinyGang · 11/08/2006 12:58

I remember reading your original post Northerner. My god - what an appalling attitude for them to adopt!

I would report the original incident and their lack of interest to the police.

Original poster
Northerner · 11/08/2006 13:56

Thanks fullmonfield, I might just take you up on that! I also have lots of friends who are just as shocked who would also complain. So that might be something to consider - I will shout if I need you!

OP posts:
Original poster
Northerner · 11/08/2006 14:09

Quick update. I have contacted my local paper who are keen to run another story on this. I will fax my letter to them and they will run a story in next Friday's issue.

OP posts:
SherlockLGJ · 11/08/2006 14:10

God bless the Harrogate Advertiser.

yorkshirelass79 · 11/08/2006 14:11

Message withdrawn

jampots · 11/08/2006 14:17

i saw a man taking a camera out at our swimming pool a few months ago and I mentioned it to the reception staff. they immediately came upstairs and kicked him out. It transpired that he was from the local paper and was there to take piccies of the local swimming club for hte paper but as I had alerted them it is their policy to kick him out - whether on business or not!

of course the other time I alerted them it was because there was a couple wanking in the seating - strangely they were just asked to stop!

catsmother · 11/08/2006 16:32

I hope you get this sorted Northerner - the council's attitude is so dismissive.

It doesn't matter that people are only naked for a few minutes - a photo takes a second. It's humiliating, frightening and a complete invasion of privacy and what happened to you - because of the way the changing rooms have been set up and/or constructed, could just as easily happen again ..... and it might be a child next time.

If councils insist on mixed rooms, they should at least ensure there is complete privacy for the individual (or the individual family) within those rooms.

catsmother · 11/08/2006 16:33

Meant to add:

" ..... complete privacy within those rooms by modifying the cubicles properly".

Original poster
Northerner · 11/08/2006 20:06

This is the paragraph that pisses me off:

Your letter also refers to the fact that you were 'shaken' by it and were not comforted of given any form of support. Having spoken to both teh duty manager and the Receptionist, they have both informed me that you appeared very calm. Had you been noticebly upset then appropriate support would have been offerred.

'Shaken' in inverted commas surely is sarcasm no?

OP posts:
Original poster
Northerner · 11/08/2006 20:58

bump

OP posts:
zippitippitoes · 11/08/2006 21:00

I think it's in inverted commas because that is a quote fro the receptionist not sarcasm..I would definitely press for posters/warning to public or perpertrators in the changing rooms and maybe on the back of the entrance tickets etc

and staff training to handle any incidents in a staff handbook

aitch71ababe · 11/08/2006 21:20

i think the fact that they haven't at least pretended to take it more seriously is very shocking indeed.

Original poster
Northerner · 14/08/2006 15:57

To update you all. I am writing to the council saying I am unhappy with the reply I received from pool manager. I am asking for them to modify the cubicles to prevent this from happenning again or at the very least to display signs warning that the use of camera phones is taken very seriously and asking users to be vigilant and to report anyone suspicious to pool staff.

If they say no I will then get a gang of woman and we will stand outside with flyers warning the public ourselves.

OP posts:
clumsymum · 14/08/2006 16:07

Actually I'm more with WWW on this one. Yes it is fairly horrid that you looked up and saw someone trying to photograph you naked, but you weren't actually physically hurt.

What sort of comfort or support did you want? Personally, even tho' I may have been a bit shocked by the event, I would have been more appalled by a stranger putting their arm round me and doing a 'There, there" sympathy bit. Hot sweet tea wouldn't cut it for me either.

I'm confused about what you expected them to do other than call the police, and check the CCTV.

I honestly think you would be better not to dwell on it. Put it behind you, and get on with life.

( Clumsymum dons hard hat and slinks off)

Iklboo · 14/08/2006 16:15

Northerner - I'd add that you were trying to act calm so as not to further upset your little one. FFS what did they want?? Theatrical hystronics?
Callous bar-stewards.