QUESTIONS are being asked about security at a Southampton swimming centre after three men managed to hide and use the facilities during the night.

They hid in a slide for more than an hour as staff at The Quays Swimming and Diving Complex, which is run by Active Nation on behalf of Southampton City Council, completed checks.

Active Nation did not respond when asked whether their safety checks would be looked at.

Ally Law, 20, and his two friends, known only as Ben and Wilson, entered the centre just before closing and hid in the slide for more than an hour before staff left.

They then turned on the facilities and proceeded to explore under the cover of darkness, filming their exploits.

Ally, from Sholing, said: “I’d just come back from travelling for six months and we were walking past The Quays and thought ‘that would be a lot of fun’, and it was.

“I had a week-long pass and I went in there before and thought it would be possible for us to hide out and have some fun at night.

“There were three of us so I don’t think we would have had a problem if one of us fell or anything.”

However, leader of the opposition at Southampton City Council, Cllr Jeremy Moulton, said a review of the facility needed to be carried out.

He said: “I would expect a review to be undertaken as to just how this happened.

“It’s not something that is safe, and if one of them had been seriously injured with the lights off, no one would have been around to help.”

The council’s member for leisure, culture and communities, Satvir Kaur, said security reviews were a question for Active Nation.

She said: “It’s very clear from the video that the three men had a lot of fun but that could have turned into something really serious and dangerous.

“If one of them had fallen, it could have been very serious or even a case of life or death.”

Active Nation, a charity which runs several exercise facilities for the council, did not confirm whether the police were called, or whether their security would be looked.

Matt Wale, business manager for Active Nation, said: “Three men were found trespassing at The Quays Swimming and Diving Centre.

“In setting off security alarms, external security staff were alerted, attended the venue and challenged the intruders. The men left the building before they could be escorted from the premises.”

Hampshire Police said it had no record of the incident being reported at the time.