YOUNGSTERS and pensioners across the country will be making a splash for free today but those in Weymouth and Portland remain high and dry.

Hundreds of local councils are celebrating the launch of free swimming schemes at public pools.

But over-60s and under-16s in Weymouth and Portland will have to fork out for a swim after the borough council decided not to introduce the initiative.

The Government has injected £140million for free swimming schemes nationwide, with 288 – around 80 per cent – of local councils offering free access to local authority owned pools for over-60s and 207 extending the offer to under-16s.

A total of 1,000 pools across England will be offering free swimming to 20 million people.

District councils in North Dorset, West Dorset and Purbeck are all offering the scheme to both pensioners and children.

Weymouth and Portland Borough Council’s management scheme declined the opportunity to take up free swimming when it came before them last year.

Members claimed it could have a negative effect on the privately owned Osprey Leisure Centre on Portland and feared the council could end up footing the bill after the two years of guaranteed Government funding elapsed.

The Dorset Echo and Age Concern have launched a petition to try and urge the council to reconsider, which has so far attracted around 1,300 signatures.

Age Concern trustee and volunteer Norah Riley-Smith is due to officially present the petition to the council’s Conservative leader Councillor Mike Goodman tomorrow.

Mrs Riley-Smith said the fact that people are now able to enjoy the benefits of free swimming in other districts only adds weight to the campaign.

She said: “Our campaign has been gaining momentum and I feel it is even stronger now, I really would urge the council to think again.

“They may argue that they won’t be able to fund it in two years’ time, but nobody knows what their budgets will be in two years’ time.

“They might as well do it for the two years so that it will benefit the people that are able to go.”