A MEMBER of the public patiently queuing with their child to get into a busy swimming baths has hit out at "delinquents" who allegedly demonstrated an "appalling display of criminal behaviour".

The ordeal erupted at Eccleshill Pool & Gym, off Harrogate Road, last Friday afternoon, at around 3pm.

A witness, who did not wish to be named, claimed the group of yobs smashed windows, clattered the locked entrance and fought with staff.

Bradford Council confirmed that police are investigating the alleged anti-social behaviour and condemned anyone acting in that way at any of its facilities.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: "We are aware of an incident at Eccleshill Pool on Friday afternoon.

"The police are investigating, which means we are not able to comment further.

"However, anti-social behaviour at any of our Sport and Leisure Centres will not be tolerated.”

The anonymous witness said he was queuing to get into the facility with his 10-year-old son, alongside around 30 other "patiently waiting" people, when a "massive commotion" began inside the building.

He added: "Various alarms were seemingly being triggered.

"A large gang of teenagers began marauding between the car park and the foyer of the building.

"The staff were completely outnumbered."

Footage seen by the T&A of the debacle shows a scene of chaos, with the supposed yobs moving through a large crowd of people.

At one point, as they seem to be leaving, some youths making explicit gestures with their hands towards the person filming.

The witness said: "Some internal doors were closed and locked and the staff were clearly waiting for police to arrive.

"They seemed to have reprimanded one of the worst offenders.

"When the group of delinquents outside realised their friend was still in the building they began clattering the doors, cracking a glass pane.

"The worst of the bunch began physically fighting with staff inside the foyer and more damage occurred with lots of other glass surfaces ending up cracked or smashed.

"Others that had fled from inside the building during the frenzy mentioned vandalism had also occurred in the changing rooms.

"When the police arrived, nothing seemed to change regarding the tensions and the mood of the gang."

It is not clear what sparked the ordeal, but the witness claims it could have been when staff decided to empty the pool to allow others to use the facilities.

The witness said his son was "extremely shaken up" and the crowd of people had to be dispersed, as police informed everyone that the facility would close for the day.

This led to further arguments, as many people had been queueing since around 1.30pm, according to the witness.

He sympathised with staff, having worked in a similar customer-facing role previously.

The witness said: "It can be really traumatic as you've not only got your own, but your colleagues and other customers' safety to consider too, and you are basically powerless to control the situation, and the stress caused by the constant threat really stays with you."

The T&A contacted West Yorkshire Police for a comment.