A TEENAGE girl was left "distraught" after spotting a camera pointing at her while in a changing room at a leisure centre.

The incident came just seven months after a woman reported a man peeking under the cubicle as she changed at Larkfield Leisure Centre, New Hythe Lane.

And, last November, another teenage girl said she too saw a camera while she changed at the centre.

The latest case happened on the night of Friday, September 16, after the 14-year-old, who does not want to be named, had been using the pool as a member of Larkfield Swimming Club.

The teenager, who showered before changing in the mixed-sex wet changing area, said: "I went to get something out of my bag and I looked up and saw a black camera poking down between the glass covering and the wall of the cubicle."

The girl pulled a towel around herself and called out, but by the time help arrived the culprit had vanished.

Her mother said she was disgusted at the lack of security at the centre.

She believes single-sex changing rooms should be introduced.

She said: "It’s disgraceful. There should be staff around the changing area to prevent this. This is not the first time this has happened. There’s no telling where those pictures might end up now."

There have been three reported incidents of voyeurism at the centre so far this year, according to Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council.

A centre spokesman said the situation was being taken seriously, with temporary patrols after school and at weekends now in place. Long-term security measures would also be reviewed, he added.

The council’s director of leisure Peter Wright, who described the incident as "deplorable", said mixed changing areas were designed to meet family needs.

He said: "As a result of these recent incidents we will be considering whether, in the long-term, alterations can be made to the layout of our changing facilities to improve security for our customers."

Maidstone and Malling Police confirmed the incident had been reported but said there was no investigation due to lack of evidence.