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Hailsham leisure centre removes sunbed
FREEDOM Leisure has removed the sunbed from its Hailsham centre – almost two years after a councillor had warned tanning equipment could cause skin cancer.
The not-for-profit trust which manages the Vicarage Lane centre said it felt its decision was 'in the best interest of our customers'.
In May 2008, then Hailsham mayor Nick Ellwood had called for the sunbed to be removed following updated advice from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
The HSE's guidelines included warnings that exposure to ultraviolet radiation from tanning equipment 'is potentially harmful' and could cause skin cancer.
It also recommended that under-18s be banned from using sunbeds due to the potential health risks.
Cllr Ellwood said on Monday he was 'delighted' Freedom Leisure had decided to take away the sunbed at its Hailsham centre.
He told the Gazette, "There is clear medical evidence they can cause skin cancer.
"Anything Wealden District Council and Freedom Leisure can do to reduce this risk is to be welcomed."
Freedom Leisure said it operated sunbeds at six of its 19 centres across Kent and Sussex, with one stand-up sunbed at Hailsham for the last five years.
Earlier this week, Jeff Hart, managing director for Freedom Leisure, confirmed the trust had taken all of its sunbeds out of operation.
He said, "The decision to remove the sunbeds from all Freedom Leisure sites in January 2010 was taken after ongoing monitoring of research.
"We feel that removing sunbeds from all centres is in the best interest of our customers.
"We have full support from all our partners and believe that this is the best move for Freedom Leisure and its customers."
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Friday 25 May 2012
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