No, your eyes aren't deceiving you - that really is a dolphin in a public swimming pool!

Forty years ago, Queens Entertainment had taken its popular dolphinarium on tour to some of the finest public swimming pools in England, and Bradford’s Windsor Baths was one of the chosen few. Alongside the headline attraction - dolphins Flipper and Sinbad - there were seals and even parrots at the pool for a two-week residency.

Pictured here performing in front of a select audience organised by Bradford Metro is Flipper, who had won the hearts of many of England’s schoolchildren.

According to one report the pool had been filled with tap water and over eight tons of salt, to give it the same salt content as the sea.

But it was far from a comfortable experience for the show's stars. In the original version of this story, we wondered how the dolphins had been transported up and down the country.

Gary Peel, one of the lifeguards working at the Baths during the dolphins' visit, got in touch to enlighten us - and we almost wish we hadn't asked.

Gary told us: "The dolphins were transported on slings inside steel frames with thin waterproof bags underneath them so they could be sprayed with water while being moved around in the back of a Luton van. It was shown on Calendar News that night, carrying them in."

It's safe to say that such treatment of highly intelligent marine mammals would cause an outcry today.

But the 1970s were a different era, and schoolchildren came from across the district to marvel at their tricks.

Bradford Telegraph and Argus:

Among them was Fiona Mattison, who got in touch after the original version of this story helped her finally convince her husband that the visit had really happened.

She says: "I recall this from years ago but questioned if I had imagined it - because of course you wouldn't see a dolphin show in a public pool, would you?

"I do remember going from school, so probably from either Denholme First School or Parkside Middle School and I would have been 8 at the time.

"I am actually quite relieved I'm not going mad!"