A mum has warned other parents that taking children to swim at Dunstable Leisure Centre could prove costly after her son's shorts were cut down for being too long.

Caryl Warner, of Cowper Road, Markyate, says her 12-year-old son Freddie was told he would either have to cut a couple of inches off his shorts or call her to bring some other swimwear because his shorts came below the knee.

The leisure centre staff then chopped the shorts down in "jagged lines" which left Freddie looking "like a pirate".

When she arrived to collect him, she was presented with the staff's handiwork and told that the rule was necessary because longer shorts cause swimmers to struggle.

Caryl said: "It's absolutely outrageous."

In a statement the firm which manages the leisure centre on behalf of the council said it took pool health and safety very seriously and strictly adheres to industry guidelines.

For the full story, see the August 25 edition of the Dunstable Gazette.