Bloodworm scare closes pool for second time

Swimmers were ordered from the water at a Tsuen Wan swimming pool yesterday after a bloodworm was spotted in the water - the latest in a long series of alerts caused by the tiny red insect larvae.

It was the second time in three months that the Shing Mun Valley complex had to be closed for the same reason.

Thirty people were asked to leave the pool when a swimmer reported the bloodworm to staff at 8.55am. The pool was then closed and cleaned, reopening on schedule at 6.30pm.

A thorough inspection of the pool complex was carried out by the Department of Health and the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department, but only one bloodworm was found.

Shing Mun Valley Swimming Pool, managed by the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, was closed for eight hours three months ago after a swimmer told lifeguards he had spotted a bloodworm in an outdoor training pool.

Bloodworms are available as fish food and deemed harmless.