Nudists have blasted leisure centre bosses for "discrimination" after they were banned from swimming naked. (Northampton Sun Group via SWNS)
By Nathan Pynn
Nudists have blasted leisure center bosses for "discrimination" after they were banned from swimming naked — because it broke the venue's swimwear rules.
Almost 200 members of Northampton Sun Group have been told they can no longer strip off for their long-running monthly dip at Mounts Baths in the town.
The naturist group was stunned when it received an email from the new general manager just two days before its usual meet up last month.
Bosses at the leisure center said the naturists had breached the company's swim suit policy and that they were also unable to "secure the staffing agreements" needed for the group's 2 1/2-hour swim and sauna sessions.
The club's treasurer David Farnsworth, 51, slammed the decision.
He said: "It's discrimination because the management simply don't like the idea of what we are doing.
"We have been holding these monthly naturist swims for decades with no issues and we now have more than 190 members who are bitterly disappointed."
The naturist club has been running monthly closed swimming sessions at the 30-meter (98-foot) long pool since 1982.
Members pay £10 ($13) each for the swim which also includes access to the center's sauna, steam room, plunge pool and Turkish baths.
The nudists were able to swim naked at the pool for more than 40 years until now. (Northampton Sun Group via SWNS)
But after new leisure operators Everyone Active took over the pool's previous operators Trilogy Active in April the group was told all future bookings were canceled.
David added: "It is all so sudden. The club has jumped through every hoop in relation to risk assessments and safeguarding.
"The club has been holding these events for members for 44 years so they know what they're doing.
"We have 194 members ranging from 26 to 82 of all sexes who get so much out of these events.
"Naked swimming is freeing, it's not sexual but we feel we've been discriminated against because one or two people simply don't understand what we are about."
David said he would "love" to take legal action to force the leisure center to scrap the ban but was not hopeful.
He added: "Even though the law is certainly on our side, we don't have the money to take this through the courts, even though we would love to."
Other members of the group say they are "bewildered" by the ban.
Club chairwoman Maggie Moreton, who is in her 70s, said: "We just feel that there is no respect for our group.
"Swimming is a an absolute delight with no swimsuit on. I have been coming to these monthly swims for 14 years and no one has ever had any issues or problems.
Nudists swimming freely in the public pool in the past. (Northampton Sun Group via SWNS)
"Newcomers are always welcome to wear a swimsuit, but it doesn't take them long to think this is silly.
"We all take showers before we enter the pool. It's probably much more hygenic than having swimming costumes and clothes on when you get into the water."
Mark Bass, the president of British Naturism, said he hoped leisure bosses would reconsider their "knee-jerk" decision.
But Everyone Active, which runs more than 230 leisure centers across the U.K., stood by the nude swim ban.
A spokesman said: "We're currently unable to offer naturist swimming sessions at Mounts Baths because we have been unable to secure the staffing agreements needed to operate them.
"We understand this is a change from what's been offered before and may be disappointing to those who took part.
"If circumstances change in the future, we'll review the position and update customers accordingly."