Council to pay two-thirds of £2m settlement for swimming pool accident

Litigation over a swimming pool accident in 2000 has finally ended with Essex County Council agreeing to pay a share of a £2m settlement.

The case followed Annie Woodland, then aged 10, being left with brain damage after getting into difficulties during a swimming lesson at the former Gloucester Park pool in Basildon.

Her parents thought more should have been done to supervise their daughter, and fought the case to the Supreme Court, which in 2013 ruled that Essex owed a duty of care towards Annie even though a third party had been contracted to teach swimming.

This was followed by a High Court case last year, in which Blake J concluded that the lifeguards and swimming teachers had breached that duty of care.

Law firm Slater & Gordon said Essex would pay two thirds of the £2m, with lifeguard Deborah Maxwell paying the rest.

She was insured, though the swimming teacher present at the time was not, and Essex issued contribution proceedings only against the former.

Ms Woodland, who is now 26 and has a son, says she has suffered years of depression and has memory problems and extreme fatigue and is unable to work.

Her solicitor Jennifer Maloney said: “Annie is a brave young woman who has been forced to spend most of her childhood and all of her adult life dealing with the devastating consequences of what happened.

“She deserves some peace of mind which I hope this settlement will bring.”

An Essex spokesperson said: "Essex County Council accepts the judgement of The Honourable Mr Justice Blake following a trial on liability in this case, and has agreed to pay two-thirds of the £2m settlement.”