Dad hits out after robbery at Hamilton Water Palace

May 20 2010 by Gary Fanning, Hamilton Advertiser

A FURIOUS dad-of-three this week told how he was robbed of his jeans and £24 in cash while visiting the Hamilton Water Palace with his children.

Billy Smith, of Stirling Drive, Hamilton, has called for security to be stepped up at the swimming baths in Almada Street after raiders used a crowbar to smash open his locker on Saturday at 4.40pm.

The thieves ransacked the locker in the baby changing room while the 36-year-old machine operator was in the pool with his 10-year-old daughter Morgan, a pupil at Glenlee Primary, and his 20-month old boy, Reagan.

They had been away for less than 45 minutes when the robbers struck.

Billy, who works for Haemonetics in Bothwell, said: “I was angry when I returned to find that the locker was burst open and they had taken my jeans and my money.

“My wife said it was an expensive visit to the Water Palace.

“I thought that once I put my belongings in the locker the Water Palace would have to accept responsibility.

“It is their property and service that they are offering.

“I think it would be better to offer customers a safety deposit box so that something like this doesn’t happen again.”

After reporting the incident to the Water Palace’s duty officer, Billy left the premises in his soaking swimming trunks and a towel and made his way to his Vauxhall Zafira car.

“I am lucky that my keys were kept in my pouch or the thieves could have been off with my car.

“The chlorine from the swimming baths have marked the seats on my car.

“I will need to shampoo the carpet and upholstery.

“Earlier I had withdrawn £100 from the cash machine and I am glad I left £70 in the house.”

Billy, a former worker at Philips factory in Hamilton, reported the theft to police, who said it wasn’t the first such incident at the Water Palace.

“I’ve heard that it’s happening week in, week out there and something needs to be done about it.

“A lady’s wedding ring and her engagement ring were stolen from the Water Palace.

“About 20 or 30 lockers in the baby changing room have been busted.

“CCTV cameras should be outside the baby changing room.”

A South Lanarkshire Council spokeswoman said: “There was a break-in to a locker at Hamilton Water Palace on Saturday.

“The duty officer took down the details from the gentleman who had been using the locker.

“We do post notices saying that people leave property in the lockers at their own risk.”

And she added: “We have approximately 400,000 customers visiting the Hamilton Water Palace and have had only three lockers broken into, including Mr Smith’s, in the past year.”

Billy has been given a council claims form following the incident.

Anyone with information on the theft should contact Hamilton Police Office on 483300 or call Crimestoppers on 0800 555111, where calls are free and anonymity can be maintained.