BADLY behaved youngsters are putting lives at risk at a North-East swimming pool, according to staff.

The youngsters, aged between 11 and 14, are mainly boys who ignore staff and intimidate other users at the pool in Guisborough.

Parents said they have seen the youngsters swearing at staff and pushing other children off inflatables during Fun in the Pool sessions.

One parent, who did not want to be named, said: "My son came to a fun session but now he is refusing to go back to the pool because of these other kids.

"They intimidate the other children. I saw them doing back flips in the shallow end that could lead to a tragedy and they could easily hurt another child."

A duty officer at Guisborough swimming pool, who did not wish to be named, said: "It's a growing problem with us, and has been especially during the school holidays.

"The kids generally just do not take any notice of the lifeguards. It happens all the time during the Fun in the Pool sessions. When the lifeguards are trying to get the kids out of the pool they have to threaten them with phoning the police before they will leave."

She said the youngsters behaved much better at the Wednesday night sessions when children of all ages had to be accompanied by an adult.

She said many parents had work commitments and did not have the time to supervise their children at the pool.

"The lifeguards' prime concern is for everyone's safety, but they have got to spend time watching these naughty ones," she said. "It's really sad because they don't realise that their behaviour is putting themselves at risk."

A spokesperson for Tees Valley Leisure, which runs the Guisborough pool, said: "During the summer holidays we do get a lot of young people using the pool and on occasions some children get carried away.

"However, we have trained and dedicated lifeguards to deal with that. If there are issues with children who are considered to be more unruly than others, staff will caution them and ask them to leave."