A DECISION to axe a popular ladies-only swimming session at a Malvern pool has caused outrage among its users.

Jenny Stevenson, of Burrows Close, contacted the Gazette after she was told that the hour-long, Friday evening session at Malvern Splash was being stopped.

The Splash has conducted a review of its pool programming and says there is “low weekly support” for the session, but Miss Stevenson, age 70, said it was often full to capacity.

She believes the pool, in Priory Road, will lose customers because of the “unthinking”

decision. She said: “I am extremely upset about it.

I’ve been going to the session for the last five years and it is well-used and highly valued by a lot of women, for various reasons. An hour a week does not seem a lot to ask for.

Several of the ladies I spoke to in the pool are also disgusted, and in fact five of them said they would not be attending again.”

Another woman, who asked not to be named, said she had been left with severe scarring after an operation and that she does not feel comfortable using the pool at any other time.

Ian Bonsall, the pool’s general manager, said the session was being replaced with one open to everyone.

He said: “This decision has been made due to the increased demand from the local community at this peak period and the low weekly support for the ladies-only session. We have, however, retained our other ladies-only session which takes place on a Monday morning.

“We accept that some of our customers may be unhappy with these changes but we do try to accommodate as many of our customers as possible in the pool and these changes have been carried out in consultation with our customers.”