Heath slips up on a chance to make cash

07 July 2006

THOUSANDS of swimmers took a dip in the Heath ponds for free after the ticket machine broke down again.

As temperatures soared to 32 degrees on Sunday, about 4,000 bathers cooled off in Hampstead Heath's mixed bathing pond.

Bathers could not pay the

£2 voluntary charge which was controversially introduced last summer.

Sally Taylor, from the Mixed Pond Action Group, said: "Even if only half the swimmers paid, they would have made £4,000 - a tidy sum.

"This is not an isolated incident. The machine was also out of order on June 18 and 25 and significantly, on June 11, when the Race for Life was held involving thousands of runners.

"Many of the racers were eager to pay for a swim but the machine was out of order."

Swimmers' groups fear Heath bosses will introduce compulsory charging for the ponds if the takings are too low. Last year the City of London Corporation collected just £9,406 from swimmers in the Heath's three bathing ponds - a fraction of the £80,000 target.

The three ticket machines at the men's, the ladies' and the mixed bathing ponds cost the corporation £20,000.

The corporation has denied that the machine was broken for four Sundays on the trot.

A spokesperson said: "The problem has been that the slot of the machine was blocked. On one occasion it was a pound coin which looked like it had been hit with a hammer, so it was out of shape and jammed up the machine.

"To prevent this happening again, we would ask that swimmers try to ensure the coins they use are not damaged."

Tony Ghilchik, the Heath and Hampstead Society's representative on the Heath management committee, said: "On a hot day such as Sunday was, it is a blow if the machine is not working.

"The big problem last year was that a lot of swimmers were simply refusing to pay.

"If the machine is faulty no-one is going to jump up and down about it. I cannot believe the City would try to blame the swimmers when the equipment goes wrong."

The corporation will review the charging scheme for the Heath's three ponds when the swimming season ends in the autumn.

Swimmers say lifeguards are already telling people that they must pay, despite the charge being voluntary.