Overview
- A member of the public spotted an unresponsive boy in Waterlane Leisure Centre’s main pool and an on-duty lifeguard pulled him out, gave CPR and the child was taken to hospital for monitoring before being released after a full recovery.
- Reporting indicates that a torpedo buoy had been left on the alarm button for the Poolview Plus+ drowning-detection system, which uses eight underwater cameras and AI to send real-time alerts to lifeguards so no automated warning was triggered.
- Following disciplinary reviews, five full-time staff, including two lifeguards who were on duty that night, were dismissed last week and at least one sacked employee is appealing the decision.
- East Suffolk Council and operator Everyone Active are conducting a joint health-and-safety investigation into the May 1 incident and the reported blocking of the drowning-detection alert, and further findings have not yet been released.
- The episode spotlights questions about reliance on AI-linked safety kit, human oversight of automated alarms and possible regulatory scrutiny of how drowning-detection systems are used and supervised in public pools.