NEW safety rules which stopped many families from swimming together have been abandoned after protests from parents.

The tighter rules at Ilkley's pool insisted that all children under the age of four had to have one-to-one supervision by an adult.

But the safety regulations drew outrage from parents who argued that many families with more than one young child had effectively been banned from swimming all together.

Now those families are celebrating after a Bradford Council decision to reduce the strict rule to a simple recommendation.

The shock policy, which was introduced across the whole of Bradford Council's area earlier this year, stipulated that each child under the age of four had to be accompanied by someone over the age of 16. Children under eight years of age had to be supervised at a ratio of one adult to two youngsters.

The changes were introduced to protect children after a number of drownings in swimming pools around the country. But some Ilkley parents with several children labelled the measures draconian and said their youngsters would not be able to use the pool at all.

With children aged five, three and one (and a further baby on the way), Martin and Maria Elgood protested to the Gazette that their family swims would now be impossible.

Mrs Elgood said: "We wanted to go swimming as a family on a Sunday, but we would not have been able to do that."

Now the family , of Grove Road, Ilkley, are delighted at the council's decision to change the rules back again.

Mrs Elgood said: "It is great news. It is fantastic and I think it's very sensible. It is perfectly reasonable for a parent to look after two children - but one-to-one is quite unrealistic for many people.

"For anyone who doesn't have children, it might have seemed a good idea. If you are not in that situation you don't have to think about it in detail - but for many families it makes things very difficult. This is a real victory for commonsense."

Another objector, Robert Morse, of Steggholds Farm House, Moorside Lane, Addingham, said he was delighted with the change. It meant that he and his wife, Sarah could now go swimming with their three children - Harry, five, Freddie, three and Elizabeth, three weeks.

He said: "I think it is excellent that they have listened. It is a pity that they didn't ask before they initiated these draconian policies."

Mr Morse, who made an official complaint to the council, argues that all children were different and could not be categorised simply by age. He said: "I feel the council should be guiding parents rather than acting as policemen."

He believed that the emphasis should be on parental responsibility rather than on bringing in more rules.

"It is tragic if a child is drowned but you could never get to a situation where there were enough lifeguards to stop that ever happening," he said. "The emphasis has to be on parental responsibility."

Bradford Council's one-to-one regulations were in line with recommendation issued by the Institute of Sport and Recreation Management.

In a statement explaining the climbdown, the council says: "Senior managers and safety officers have been working proactively to come up with a solution that ensures safety levels are maintained without restricting access by families.

"The policy has now been revised to recommend strongly that children under four should be accompanied on a one-to-one basis by a responsible person aged 16 or over, and remain in shallow water at all times, regardless of swimming ability.

"To ensure an appropriate safety regime is in place, additional qualified lifeguards will be on duty on the poolside at peak times. In addition to this, buoyancy aids will be available at no cost to parents and children under four at all times at every pool."

Steve Warner, the council's head of sport and leisure, stressed: "We hope this demonstrated to our customers that we have listened to them and taken their views into account. Above all, our primary concern is to ensure that families can swim safely in our pools at all times."