Thirteen people have been blacklisted from swimming pools in Flanders following a month of inspections linked to several instances of harassment in the pools.
Eight people in total were banned from swimming at the Lago group's Kortrijk pool, an additional person was banned from their Lier domain and a combined four were banned from their Ghent and Beveren pools, according to HLN.
"It's only a few people, but we can already see a clear effect," Dieter Thielemans of the Lago group told the outlet.
The bans will last a reported three months after which an assessment will establish if the offenders can be admitted to the swimming pools again.
The news comes after the pools put in place identity checks to crack down on a series of instances of harassment, including the groping of a minor by a group of boys in July.
Apart from the harassment incidents, other types of misbehaviour, such as smoking cannabis on-site, were also cited as a reason for the individuals' blacklisting.
Gabriela Galindo
The Brussels Times
