Naturists banned from swimming naked after 44 years at Northampton leisure centre following swimwear row

Almost 200 members of Northampton Sun Club have been told they can no longer strip off for their long-running monthly dip at Mounts Baths in the town.

The naturist group were stunned when they received an email from the new general manager just two days before their usual meet up last month.

Bosses at the leisure centre 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 two-and-a-half 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 30m long pool since 1982.

Members pay £10 each for the swim which also includes access to the centre's sauna, steam room, plunge pool and Turkish baths.

But after new leisure operators Everyone Active took over the pool's previous operators Trilogy Active in April the group were told all future bookings were cancelled.

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.”

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.

“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 hygienic 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 centres across the UK, 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."