A FAMILY who were robbed of money and clothes while taking a shower at Basingstoke's Aquadrome are warning swimmers to be extra careful with their belongings in the changing rooms there.

"It's not the value particularly - it's the humiliation of it," Mrs Helen Farmer, 40, of Oakridge Road, Oakridge, told The Gazette.

She added: "My 11-year-old son Adam had to go home in his swimming things in bare feet as they had stolen all his clothes and his shoes.

"They took my purse which contained a couple of pounds and my carer's card for my 12-year-old daughter Catherine, who is registered disabled with a form of autism. They have obviously got no feelings at all to steal from disabled people."

The thefts occurred last Monday evening, after Mrs Farmer and her three children had been for a swim and collected their clothes from the lockers.

"We put our things in four separate cubicles in the changing rooms and then went off for a shower," said Mrs Farmer, who works part-time at a supermarket.

"We were only gone four minutes. When we came back my son's bag containing his clothes, shoes and towel had gone. My bag, Catherine's and the bag belonging to my other daughter Laura, nine, were still there - but the thieves had rifled through all of them and taken my purse.

"When we reported it to reception, I asked if they watched out for people carrying more than one bag. I also asked them if there was a closed-circuit TV camera in the changing rooms and they said there was only one in the main entrance.

"If they stole from us, they probably stole from other people there as well that night.

"With the summer holidays about to start, and more families going to the Aquadrome, I would like to warn people to be careful with their belongings.

"I have reported it to the council and the police. I hope that if anybody sees the bag, the clothes or the purse they will hand them in."

Aquadrome manager Peter Burke said: "We advise people not to leave their belongings unattended at any time.

"This is a public leisure centre and we get all types of people in here. If you take a shower you should get your towel and shampoo out of the locker and leave the rest locked up until you come back.

"We do not have CCTV cameras in the changing room. As a rule you don't tend to get cameras in changing areas. It is something we are advised not to do.

"We did not have any other thefts on Monday. We have not had a lot of thefts in the changing rooms. We get the odd one but not many.

"We did have a spate of thefts of car keys from lockers and then the cars being stolen, but that has now stopped. The alleged perpetrators have been caught and are awaiting trial."