More than 70 Brimbank properties with backyard pools and spas have failed fencing checks in the past year.
Brimbank council’s city development director Stuart Menzies said council staff had inspected about 200 properties with a pool within the past 12 months, and 74 building notices were issued as a result.
The notices demand pool owners make the necessary changes to ensure pool fencing complies with legislation.
“Most of these pools have been made compliant already,” Mr Menzies said. “Only 21 of those pools are still working towards compliance.”
In Victoria, swimming pools and spas with a water depth of more than 30 centimetres must have safety barriers around them.
According to the Victorian Building Authority, the pool area must be a separate, defined area that cannot be accessed directly from any other building, such as the main house or an outbuilding.
There are 2452 backyard pools in Brimbank, and the council conducts about 10 random inspections each month.
Mr Menzies said the arrival of summer was a good reminder to residents with pools to ensure their safety barriers are in working order.
Life Saving Victoria’s Drowning Report 2015-16 shows that about 16 per cent of non-fatal drowning incidents occurred in home pools.
