by Hayley Robinson

hrobinson@thekmgroup.co.uk

Leisure centre bosses have called in police after drill holes were found in changing cubicle walls.

Fears that a peeping Tom could have been spying on unsuspecting families at the Swallows in Sittingbourne were raised by concerned father John Franklin.

He spotted the two holes four weeks ago when he took his four children – aged seven, 10, 11 and 14 – swimming during the school break.

He says he reported it at the time but was shocked to see the holes had not been filled when he returned to the Central Avenue centre last Friday.

However, there is confusion over the repairs as a spokesman for Swallows' management firm, Swale Community Leisure (SCL), says "immediate action" was taken.

Centre bosses have spoken to Sittingbourne police and are calling on customers to immediately report anything they find suspicious.

Mr Franklin, of Kent Avenue, Sittingbourne, said: "Someone is looking into the family changing room; looking at kids.

"How long has it been going on? I think people need to be aware.

"They've not only drilled a hole through from the single changing room [next to it] but also the family changing room [the other side] as well.

"When I brought it to [their] attention they said they would do an incident report and get their maintenance team down there to fill the holes, so I went away convinced they would do something about it.

"But then I went back last week to find the same holes still there."

The 36-year-old added: "I stopped using the centre for a while because, before they had the changing rooms refurbished, they had the same issue and now it's happening again."

The SCL spokesman, who wouldn't be drawn on Mr Franklin's claims about nothing being done, said: "We are taking this very seriously. We can confirm that immediate action has been taken to fill the holes.

"Customer safety is paramount and in addition to filling the holes, we have increased the checks within the changing rooms and are asking for customers to notify a member of staff immediately should they witness anyone acting suspiciously.

"We hope customers will be assured by our course of action and that they will understand the need for an additional presence around the facility."