PARENTS campaigning to end rules stopping families from taking young children swimming have vowed to fight on after attending talks ordered by the Prime Minister to sort out the problem.

Carolyn Warner, the Maidstone mother spearheading the “Right to Swim” campaign, said a top level meeting involving Government officials, industry representatives and swimming groups had failed to find a solution.

Carolyn, who attended Friday’s meeting in London, said that while the talks had been useful, the Institute for Sport and Recreation Management (ISRM) had not signalled a willingness to drop its guidelines. Neither had it presented any research evidence that supported its claims that the rules were needed.

However, a further meeting is planned to consider how to resolve the issue.

After the meeting, Carolyn said: "Our campaign group supports the Health and Safety Executive's guidance but does not support the ISRM guidance. Until we see research that demonstrates a clear need to change to the ISRM guidance we will continue to campaign for our children's right to swim.”

Many sports centres are implementing the ISRM guidelines, rather than the Health and Safety’s separate guidance. The former means that a parent on their own cannot take two children swimming where one child is under the age of four. The “one-to-one” rule is in place at Maidstone Leisure Centre, Faversham and Tenterden.

The talks came about after Carolyn drew the Prime Minister’s attention to them during a visit to Kent. He later described the ISRM guidance as “complete nonsense.”

Friday’s meeting was arranged by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport.

In a statement, it said: “It was a constructive meeting and good progress has been made. Everyone agreed it is important children are encouraged to swim and to do so safely.”