The new lake at Beckenham Place Park is closed four days after it was officially opened, due to a safety incident
PARENTS have gone off at the deep end after a community swimming lake was suddenly deemed unsafe for their kids - and shut down just four days after opening. Beckenham Place Park was swamped with visitors after a £ relaunch saw it open with a new ‘open water facility’ allowing the public to swim in a 219-year-old an ambulance had to be called on Monday after a child was rescued from the water after getting into difficulty just two days after the pool was officially opened by London mayor Sadiq Khan. Managers Lewisham Council also said the number of visitors due to the hot weather had “exceeded our most ambitious forecasts.” The council has now closed the venue - as well as the entire park - with immediate effect to “ensure people can enjoy themselves safely.” They are erecting temporary fencing around the lake, introducing tickets for anyone visiting the lake area and making sure lifeguards are on duty whenever the water is open to swimmers. It follows a slew of complaints from parents who said the venue didn’t have enough lifeguards, wasn’t properly signposted and got too deep too quickly - even though the definition of wild swimming is that it isn’t subject to the usual safety precautions.
Size: 5434px × 3507px
Location: Beckenham Place Park, Lewisham, London,UK
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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