My partner has gone back to the UK over the Easter half term to visit the grandparents. So as a treat they decide to go swimming. We have three children aged 4, 4 and 2. Both the 4 year olds can swim well unaided and go swimming at least once every week in Switzerland.

They were refused entry into a UK swimming pool, because there weren't three accompanying adults. There was my partner, her father and a 15 year old cousin to accompany them, but they were refused and told this is a UK wide national policy. So we are very thankful to be in CH, where one adult can take three children swimming without anyone batting an eyelid.

What chance does a single parent have in the UK, if they have more than one small child.

This is down to "health & saftey" regulations which swimming pools have to abide by. They must have got even more strict in the last couple of years as it used to be 1 adult to 2 children.

The dreaded 'health & safety' ayatollahs..........the biggest single reason for not living in the UK.

If I read this, I prefer the situation in Switzerland, too. But it should be noted than contrary to a few other countries, the adults are responsible for the children in a public bath, and the bath attendants don't watch the water without interruptions.

It is the opposite in the UK. There the lifegaurds on duty must have an uninterupted view of the entire pool at all times. This is the reason that a lot of those funny shaped leisure pools have sections closed during quiet times, it is not financially viable to staff the whole pool. This is just the thin end of the health & saftey wedge, some of the other hoops that leisure facilities (& I am sure other businesses) have to go through are just plain ridiculous.

Our girl has been able to swim since she was about 14 months old. I took her to the pool in London when she was about 18 months old and was told she had to wear armbands or she wasn't allowed in. I pointed out that she was a fish in human disguise but the woman was completely inflexible because rules are rules. In retrospect I did the wrong thing, I bought a pair of armbands (cunningly sold by the pool) and put them on her. Result was a screaming toddler and a mother out of pocket by about £15.