Sunbed ban recommended to council

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A council committee has recommended the local authority removes the five sunbeds it has at four leisure centres.

The Vale of Glamorgan councillors said the sunbeds were well-managed but they backed a report noting "well-documented concerns and dangers" about sunbed use.

The scrutiny committee vote is now to be considered by the council's cabinet.

Calls to ban unstaffed tanning salons were made after a 14-year-old girl from Barry and a 10-year-old girl from Port Talbot were burned after using them.

The five sunbeds, two at Penarth leisure centre, and one each in Barry, Llantwit Major and Cowbridge leisure centres, earn Vale of Glamorgan council £15,000 per year.

Eighteen of Wales' 22 councils have decided to withdraw sunbed services from their leisure centres.

The Vale's scrutiny committee debated a report from the council's director of environmental and economic regeneration which said that the local authority had continued to provide sunbeds due to popular demand.

However, it noted there had been a "significant drop" in sunbed usage in recent years.

'Best practice'

The report stated: "The sunbeds offered by the council are managed in a responsible manner with recognised best practice procedures in place which stop under-18s from using the sunbeds and restrict the number of times an individual can use a sunbed within a given period.

"However, the concerns and dangers of sunbeds are well documented and current NHS advice is not to use sunbeds."

No date has been set for the Vale's cabinet meeting.