ANGRY mother Rebecca Coombs says changing rooms at Stratford Park Leisure Centre are so dirty they are not fit to be used by young children.

Mrs Coombs, 28, used to take her two-year-old son Sam swimming at the centre every other week.

But she has become so concerned at the state of the changing areas that she now travels to a pool in Dursley instead.

Mrs Coombs, who lives in Gloucester Road, Stonehouse with husband Tom, last visited the pool at the end of January.

She says the changing rooms had ingrained dirt on the floor and litter was also a problem.

However, centre staff say the changing areas are cleaned regularly, adding that spot checks are carried out to ensure hygiene levels are maintained.

But Mrs Coombs is not impressed.

"I am frankly disgusted at the levels of hygiene I find at the pool," she said. "On bringing my concern to the attention of a duty manager I was told the centre was busy and understaffed.

"I am sure this is the case but the floors my son was walking on looked as if they have not been cleaned in a month never mind a day, they were scattered with litter and the dirt was ingrained.

"Surely in an environment where infection is so easily passed on, some basic cleanliness is not too much to expect."

Leisure Centre manager Andrew Bunn wasn't aware of Mrs Coombs' complaint but added that he would deal with any problems.

"I would say going back a few years, after the last refurbishment, we had an issue with cleanliness but not any more," he said.

"The managers regularly go round and the building to check the cleaning and we also do spot checks to make sure everything is in order.

"We're not prefect, we're a public building and there are going to be times when we are really busy so we might not be up-to-date."

Mr Bunn added that the centre is currently recruiting to combat the staffing shortages.