A WORRYING new trend is emerging at some of Hampshire's most popular swimming pools - pool rage.

Managers from pools around the region say that the rage phenomenon of the 1990s is not only confined to the dizzy heights of the flight paths or the lanes of motorways.

It has front-crawled its way into our swimming pools and staff at the Bitterne Leisure centre in Southampton have even been briefed by police on how to deal with irate swimmers.

Pool managers told the Daily Echo that most incidents occur when slower swimmers get in the way of the faster swimmers or cross lanes without warning.

But, surprisingly, those who get most irate are the over-50s.

Andy Chapman, duty manager at River Park Leisure Centre in Winchester, said: "Once we had a situation where a 16-year-old girl was punched in the face by a woman in her fifties for swimming in the wrong direction."

He added: "The older people are the worst as they are more set in their ways. If people cut them up they are much more likely to say something."

Simon Bush, deputy manager at the New Milton Recreation Centre in Gore Road, agreed: "The 50-plus age group are the worst. They are your die-hards with plenty of time on their hands."

"A few weeks ago we had a big argument blowing up in the pool. If it blows up too much I just go down to the pool and ask them to leave."

A manager at Ringwood Recreation Centre said: "It is especially bad with the older generation. We have had to ban people in the past because they take over a whole area. Some of them want to get in their ten lengths in the lane where they have been swimming for the last 15 years and they won't move come hell or high water."

Margaret Bell from the Hampshire Swimming Association said: "Part of the problem is that people have very short fuses and get very annoyed very quickly.

"It is probably less of a problem when the pool is split into lanes properly. Sometimes people go for a swim after a drink, which can make them get annoyed more quickly."

She added: "It is a management issue. Maybe they need more people on the poolside to spot it early. If the management are going to have a lot of people in the pools they should have more people on duty."

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