Video: '˜Mermaid' banned from local swimming pool

A would-be 'mermaid' has been left high-and-dry after being told she cannot use her flipper in public swimming baths.
By The Newsroom
Published 28th Sep 2017, 14:29 BST
Updated 29th Sep 2017, 17:21 BST

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Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: HandoutsShop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts
Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts

Leia Trigger who wears a specially-made ‘tail’ when she takes to the water so she can “explore as a mythical, amazing, graceful creature” is now searching for new waters.

Until recently she was able to use an indoor pool in her home-town of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. However, management told her they could no longer accommodate the £150 tail for “health and safety reasons”.

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Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: HandoutsShop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts
Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts

Mermaid?!

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Not quite. Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 “tail” when she takes to the water as Mermaid Aries so she can “explore as a mythical, amazing, graceful creature”.

What does it take to become a mermaid?

Leia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PALeia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PA
Leia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PA

Leia owns two tails of a Lycra or Spandex-type material and which are vividly decorated – though some silicon models can sell for up to £4,000 each.

She has aspirations to work in children’s entertainment and says she gets “very positive reactions” from people while swimming.

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Why the pool ban?

Leia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PALeia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PA
Leia Trigger, a would-be "mermaid", has been left high-and-dry by a ban at her local pool. Picture: Handout/PA

Until recently, she was able to use an indoor pool in her hometown of Bromsgrove, Worcestershire. But management told her they could no longer accommodate Leia’s tail in the pool for “health and safety reasons”.

Health and safety gone mad?

The people at the pool might have a point. Leia says: “It’s mainly the health and safety risk. Because the legs are bound together, they are worried that I might get into trouble in the water or that I might end up hitting somebody.”

What will she do?

Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: HandoutsShop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts
Shop assistant Leia, 18, wears a specially made £150 mermaid 'tail'. Picture: Handouts

Leia says that not being able to swim in costume is “a big drawback”. She explained: “It’s more of a case of trying to find somewhere else to swim now, or seeing if there’s another path I can take with this.”

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