A mum has been left furious after a man “wearing tight black Speedos” started filming her kids at a waterpark.
Lorraine Carter took her five kids to Splash Landing Water Park, at Alton Towers, for a day out.
The 38-year-old from Oxton, Merseyside, had been hoping for an enjoyable time for her kids but it ended with police escorting a man from the premises.
Lorraine was left “upset and angry” when the man “wearing tight black Speedos” started filming and taking photographs around the pools, including where her children had been playing.
The mum-of-five was also left dismayed at how long the stranger was able to film for, but Alton Towers have said that a thorough process was undertaken in order to maintain the safety of guests.
Lorraine told The Liverpool Echo: "We were enjoying our day and were sitting at a table next to a pool. But then it was very, very obvious that a man was recording on his phone camera."
She said the man was in his late 30s or early 40s and was dressed only in black Speedos.
She added: "He was there completely on his own - he then walked into the kids' pool, where some of my children were playing. The lifeguard blew his whistle but the man ignored him."
Lorraine said she saw the man continue to film in another pool that was full of families and children.
She said she made a second lifeguard aware of the situation and then a third as the man made his way around the complex, then moving to the waterslide.
The lifeguards attempted to stop the man, but he continued.
She said: "My husband then confronted him. He told him to put his phone away and then he stopped. It was the first time he stopped filming.
"I was incredibly upset and angry. Other parents were also getting upset. I saw a lifeguard with a radio - I said I wanted to speak to a manager right now. They then made the call for a team leader.
"I told the team leader what had gone on. She felt sad it had gone on".
Lorraine added: "My husband went with the supervisor to try and find him. I then saw him. He was pulled out of the water by a supervisor and was spoken to. He questioned him, tried to blame a language barrier.
"He was told he wasn’t to record. The manager spoke to him, relayed this information to me."
Lorraine claimed the man was filming for about 10 minutes and also phoned the police, who attended.
Staffordshire Police said the man was confronted by security at Alton Towers and he deleted the videos in front of him.
The man in question said he was a visiting travel vlogger as his reason for recording and he was later escorted from the premises.
However, Lorraine said she was disappointed by how long he was able to film for. She added: "It was really difficult, it was quite upsetting. Why was he allowed to film and it go on for as long as it did?"
Regarding the water park, the Alton Towers website says: "Photography is permitted of your immediate group while in the Alton Towers Waterpark, but please do refrain from taking pictures in the water and changing areas. Underwater cameras and Video recording is not permitted."
The man was removed for breaching that guideline.
An Alton Towers Resort spokesperson said: “The safety and privacy of our guests is of paramount importance to everyone at Alton Towers Resort.
“Following concerns raised by a guest in the waterpark, our management and security team conducted a thorough investigation which ultimately led to a member of the public being escorted from the premises for breaching our guidelines on filming in this area of the Resort. Police also attended and after consultation with our team decided all the required procedures had been followed and no further action was necessary.”
A Staffordshire Police spokesperson said: “We were called at 4.20pm to reports of a man taking film/photographs at the Alton Towers Waterpark on Tuesday (30 May).
“We can confirm the security team at Alton Towers spoke to the man, visiting from France. They reviewed the content which did not raise further concerns and all waterpark content was voluntarily deleted from his phone in front of them. The security team then asked him to leave the waterpark."
