A PETITION signed by 661 swimmers will be presented to Poole councillors on Tuesday calling for the “monstrous” boom to be removed from the town’s pool.

Outraged Dolphin Swimming Pool users flocked to sign the petition after the £100,000 boom appeared out of the blue in January.

It shortened what was the longest pool in Dorset at 33 metres to 25m and destroyed the enjoyment for hundreds of regular users, they say.

“It’s a complete disaster,” said Eben Foggitt, a member of the bar and former JP from Lilliput, a regular swimmer who is presenting the petition.

“There was no consultation, no notification. No-one spoke to any members of the club,” he said.

Part of the council’s justification for it was to encourage galas – so far this year there has been one – and for training for the swimming club.

“They have approximately 100 members. The Everyone Active club has approximately 2,000 members, who can use the facilities of the gym and the swimming pool, and pay an average of £220 a year each.

“The possibility of increased profit was considered to be greater than the consultation with people who regularly use the pool,” he said.

He said they were calling for the removal of the solid boom but would have accepted it being moved to the deep end. He added they were told this was unacceptable because people could swim underneath.

“Surely it’s not beyond the power of man to design a skirt to stop people swimming underneath, which could be removed when the boom is moved,” he said. “If they are not going to do it, we want it out.”

He said members had left the club because of the boom and blamed the length of time it had taken to present the petition to council on officers not knowing their own rules.

Everyone Active, which manages Borough of Poole’s three leisure centres, has said the boom was aimed at improving the pool for the majority of users.

The petition will be presented to full council, which is open to the public, at 7pm at the Civic Centre.