Company fined after three-year-old trapped under float in Surrey swimming pool
Girl resuscitated following holiday camp free-play session
A company has been fined £6,000 after a three-year-old girl nearly drowned during a swimming pool free-play session at a holiday camp in Surrey.
The incident happened on 26th July 2023 at Bishopsgate School in Egham, where Oxford Active Ltd organised a holiday camp.
The three-year-old, part of a group of 19 children aged three to five, was found face down, unconscious in the pool underneath a large float. Staff resuscitated her after she was not breathing.
The girl had been provided with two sets of armbands and a foam noodle before entering the pool. However, when she was found, she was no longer wearing the armbands or using the noodle.
An investigation by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) revealed serious shortcomings in Oxford Active Ltd's safety measures.
Its pool safety documentation lacked sufficient detail and clarity and was not effectively communicated to staff. As a result, control measures for pool supervision were not properly understood or followed.
HSE guidance emphasises the need for effective supervision, clear adult-to-child ratios, rules on floats and inflatables, detailed risk assessments, and emergency procedures in swimming activities involving young or non-swimming children.
The company pleaded guilty to breaching Section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 at Chichester Magistrates’ Court. Alongside the £6,000 fine, Oxford Active Ltd was ordered to pay £12,000 in costs, £2,000 compensation to the child’s family, and an additional £2,000 victim surcharge.
HSE Inspector Russell Beckett commented on the case, saying:
“It is vital that children are able to learn to swim in a safe environment and that parents can trust their children will be properly looked after while doing so.
“Fortunately, the three-year-old child recovered well, but this incident could very easily have had a tragic outcome.”