Swimmers Rights Upheld

12.56.53am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 28th Apr 2005

Ed Fordham has welcomed the news that local swimmers can make their own judgement about swimming in Hampstead Ponds.

"This is good news for local people and a blow against the increasingly condescending and interfering approach of the Corporation of London and the obsession with health and safety legislation.

"I would urge the Corporation to drop the matter and to not appeal - it was outrageous enough that rather than guarantee funding for the ponds that they had put money aside for a legal battle in the first place.

"I would much prefer that the Corporation took this judgement as their cue for re-establishing strong and frequent communications and discussions with all of the swimmer groups and users locally."

EXTRACT FROM THE EVENING STANDARD:

A group of swimmers today claimed victory over the "nanny state" after winning the right to take icy morning dips - at their own risk. The campaigners had taken their case to the High Court after the Corporation of London stopped them taking dawn swims at Hampstead Heath ponds before lifeguards start work. The Corporation claimed the tradition, dating back to the 19th century, was dangerous and left it open to prosecution in the event of an accident.

In a landmark ruling today the swimmers were given the right to make up their own minds whether or not to take any risk involved.

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/18182028?source=Evening%20Standard