THE father of a teenager who drowned in a busy seaside swimming pool vowed to sue the local authority after hearing a coroner criticise the lack of training of its lifeguards.

John Rudderham, 16, was on a day out with friends at Scarborough's Atlantis water theme park when he suffered an epileptic seizure and drowned, an inquest at the town was told.

North Yorkshire east coroner Michael Oakley, recording a verdict of accidental death, said he had considered adding in his verdict that his death was aggravated by neglect, but he decided against it because he did not believe it was the case.

John's father, also called John, of Forber Avenue, Hull, said after the hearing that he wanted to see Scarborough Borough Council prosecuted and he planned to sue the authority.

Mr Oakley, in his summing up, said there had not been gross negligence.

However, he added: "What is at issue is the training and competence of the lifeguards."

Two of three lifeguards involved in the incident had been very inexperienced, he said.

He urged the council to take on board issues raised during the hearing, including the training and supervision of pool staff.

One lifeguard had been in the job only eight days, the inquest was told.

Peter Garbutt, the council's health and safety officer at the time, said there was turbulence in the water when the pool's bubble system was operating. The system had now been turned off.

Chris Hughes, manager of the council's indoor and outdoor pools, said the number of bathers to be allowed in the water had been reduced from 625 to 416 as a result of health and safety legislation, but the Atlantis complex, as a whole, could accommodate 1,152 people.

Mr Hughes said the council was looking at installing a high-tech camera and alarm system.

Medical evidence was given that John had died in hospital the day after the accident from drowning due to epilepsy.