A mystery party-pooper may force the cancellation of a popular children’s event at Ships and Castles leisure centre after repeatedly defecating in the swimming pool.

The centre’s management has put-up notices saying it will close the Wave Rave sessions for eight to 14 year-olds after “recurring instances of finding poo in the pool.”

Staff at the Falmouth centre have logged several incidents over the past few weeks where a child in the pool has reported floating faecal matter to a lifeguard during the disco style events, which feature wave machines and loud music, and take place from 6pm to 9pm on Friday nights.

Last week, when the same thing happened again, the pool was closed in an attempt to catch the offender.

A spokesman at te Falmouth centre said: “We wanted to nip it in the bud, to highlight the problem and find out who the culprit is.”

It is understood that the offender has also struck in the changing rooms and in the toilets at the pool. 

Tempus Leisure, which runs the centre, said it was investigating the matter, and considers the perpetrator is one of the children, as other bathers are not generally allowed in the pool at the time.

A spokesperson said: “Last week, when it happened again, we closed the pool which was very disappointing and inconvenient for all our other customers. 

“However, we would like to assure everyone that this situation poses no health and safety threat to other members of the public using our facility.

“Where the waste matter is of a solid consistency we simply remove and dispose of it immediately and the water treatment and disinfection we use is more than enough to quickly remove any harmful bacteria from the water, as are the cleaning chemicals we use for the poolside, changing areas, showers and toilets. Regular tests of our water quality are routinely taken and recorded every day and any fluctuations would immediately become apparent.”

The company is trying to get to the bottom of things with new measures, including increasing surveillance by staff and recording the details of anyone attending the sessions.

The spokesperson added: “The health, safety and welfare of our customers is paramount and we will continue with our investigations into this matter.

“We would welcome information any member of the public may have on identifying the culprit. 
“Anybody with information which leads to a swift resolution of this matter may be rewarded. Please contact the centre’s reception in confidence on 01326 212129.”