"I'M concerned that I'll go in one morning and there'll be a body floating in the water."

These were the words of a Selby swimming instructor, speaking about a spate of attacks on Barlby Sports College's swimming pool.

Dawn Martland, of Selby, is an instructor at the pool, teaching school classes as well as her own Learn To Swim scheme. She said the latest incident had involved youths breaking into the pool, drinking alcohol and smoking in the building.

"The kids break the panels around the poolside so they can get inside. They keep kicking the panels in and throwing cigarette butts in.

"The police came to a really bad break-in last year, when all the swimming certificates and badges we had in stock were thrown in the water and destroyed."

Despite the damage the vandals have caused, Mrs Martland expressed some sympathy, saying she thought it was down to a lack of alternative activities for the youngsters to get involved in.

"I do feel sorry for the kids, in that they have nothing better to do but go out and vandalise things," she said.

"When I was young, you could go to the cinema, or the youth club, or the baths.

"Selby has grown so much in the last 20 or 30 years, and, if anything, there's less for the kids to do now than there was then."

Mrs Martland said she was worried for the safety of the youths, as well as the pool itself.

"The kids are drinking in there and there are covers over the pool," she said.

"I'm worried that they might try and do something stupid when they're drunk and end up in difficulties.

"Also, I don't think these kids realise how serious this is.

"It's criminal damage, and one day they will get caught and be in a lot of trouble."

Chris Burton, managing director of Mayfair Security, said antisocial behaviour was generally a problem across the district, but he did not see Barlby as a trouble hotspot.

"The vandalism seems to be a symptom of the antisocial behaviour, particularly drinking alcohol, rather than something youths set out to do.

"They are looking for locations for underage drinking and that can result in a degree of damage."