Castle Point Borough Council has been fined £18,000 and ordered to pay costs of £7,500 after pleading guilty to safety breaches at the Waterside Swimming Pool on Canvey Island that lead to a girl being trapped by a water outlet.

On 2 May 2009, the girl - then seven-years-old - was using the swimming pool with her great grandfather at Waterside Farm Leisure Centre. Her hair was sucked into the water sampling outlet on the side of the pool, trapping her underwater for more than two minutes.

She was only saved thanks to the actions of her great grandfather, who was forced to pull a clump of hair from her head in order to free her.

Castle Point Borough Council was prosecuted by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) following the accident.

HSE accused the council of not managing the risks to members of the public using the pool and questioned both the pool equipment and the actions of the life guards on duty.

In a statement to Basildon Magistrates Court, an HSE representative said: "In particular the council failed to ensure that the sample outlet had two vents so if one became blocked the other vent would take the pressure off the suction.

"There were too few lifeguards on duty and of the two that were working, one was cleaning and the other could not see the whole pool due to the glare from sunlight reflecting on the water."

The council pleaded guilty to breaching section 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974.

Speaking after the hearing, HSE inspector Nicola Surrey said: "This incident could have had far more serious consequences. Managed properly, swimming pools are a place for fun and exercise yet the council put pool users at risk of entrapment by not properly maintaining the water outlets."