Bias claim over 'Muslim women only' swimming

The row broke out after a would-be swimmer arrived at Hull Council's Beverley Road Baths on Thursday morning where a sign at the entrance said the pool was closed for "Staff Training".

The council later said it was hosting a long-standing private booking but the user then discovered it was advertising 10.30am to 12pm on Thursdays on its website as a training period as well as a "Muslim ladies (sic] session".

It is believed to be the only city council in Yorkshire advertising swimming sessions for a particular religious group.

The man who had wanted to swim has accused the council of

discriminating against non-Muslims, and asked why, if the pool was closed for training, how this particular group of women was then permitted in.

"If a group of Catholic women objected to using the pool when a group of Protestant women were swimming it would cause consternation.

"If these Islamic ladies had booked a private session in the pool, why did Hull City Council not simply put a sign up saying 'pool booked for private party', as they do for kids' birthdays?

"What makes this religious group any different from any other members of the community?"

The authority declined to answer questions about the sessions but said they were supervised by "casual" staff while other employees "do training or cleaning".

Asked if there was a particular dress code, the council said customers at this session "swim in costumes". It said the group provided its own blinds to increase privacy while it was using the pool.

The council said the manager at the pool was not aware of any complaints being made about the sessions.

A spokeswoman said: "The council is not providing a service that excludes non-Muslims, but simply hiring a facility privately to a group who happen to be Muslim women; other religious, social or cultural groups could do the same, subject to availability."

A city councillor said the sessions could cause resentment if they were taking place when other users wanted to swim.

Coun John Fareham, Conservative group leader at Hull Council, said: "If it's being done at a time when the pool is empty that's one thing, but if it's when other people want to use the pool I don't think that creates cohesion; it creates resentment in those who used to go swimming at that time."

He added: "I would make the same remarks whether it was for under-fives, Muslims or paraplegics. If we are growing the market, good, if we are restricting the market, bad."