An unholy row has erupted over “Muslim-only” swimming sessions at a Thornton Heath pool.

Croydon Council has scrapped rules to force swimmers to cover up for fear of offending Muslims during the sessions at Thornton Heath Leisure Centre.

It removed the advice from its website after intense criticism over its policy to refuse entry to those who did not comply with the dress code.

Its website said: “During special Muslim sessions, male costumes must cover the body from the navel to the knee and females must be covered from the neck to the ankles and wrists.”

The council claimed it was an error and no dress code existed.

But when the Croydon Guardian contacted the Norbury Islamic Academy, which runs the Muslim Fitness Programme at the centre, they insisted there was a dress code.

Maulana Ismail explained men were required to wear three-quarter length shorts while women had to wear leggings and long t-shirts.

Its website continues to warn users: “When attending, please adhere to the Islamic dress code (otherwise you will be refused entry).”

The centre runs women-only sessions on Saturday afternoons and men-only sessions on Sundays.

Despite the academy saying the sessions are for “brothers” and “sisters”, the council said sessions were open to all.

A spokesman said: “Thornton Heath Leisure Centre does not run Muslim-only swimming sessions. Single-sex sessions are held for women on Saturday afternoons and for men on Sunday afternoons.

"These are for people who may not feel comfortable swimming in a mixed-gender group.

"There is no dress code enforced by centre staff at either of these sessions.

"They have been running for several years, and have proved very popular with people from a wide range of backgrounds.

“We apologise for the confusion caused by incorrect wording on one of our web pages, which may have given the impression that sessions were not open to all faiths.

"This wording has been amended, and we want to be quite clear that entry to swimming sessions has never been restricted on the grounds of religion.”

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