October 2008 Archives

BARMY Midlands council chiefs are giving tips on playing squash - to the blind.

New health and safety signs have been installed inside Halesowen Leisure Centre at a cost of £5,300 to help centre-users find their way around.

The wording is written in Braille, and appears in the squash courts area, where advice is given on acceptable sports shoes and on-court safety.

Dudley Council, which owns the leisure centre, defended the decision to give tips to non-existent blind squash players.

As well as Braille signs indicating the location of the squash courts, there are notices on the doors saying that black-soled shoes must not be worn on the courts to stop the wooden floors becoming marked.

They also say: "Knock and wait" - to prevent people walking on to court when a match is in progress, which would be extremely dangerous.