Intruders forced a swimming pool to be closed twice after they broke in and defecated in the water.

Staff at Oxford's Hinksey Pool had to clean the area and allow the water to circulate through the filters after finding faeces in the outdoor pool.

Police were called after reports that a man was seen scaling fences surrounding the swimming area off Abingdon Road.

Hinksey pool operations manager Lucy Cherry said: "We had intruders overnight and had to close the pool down twice while we decontaminated the water.

"The baths were closed for approximately one hour on both Monday and Tuesday morning, while we let the chlorine take effect. Then we had to do a backwash within 24 hours to clean the filters out."

Last week, the Oxford Mail reported that park visitors were complaining that public toilets in Hinksey Park and Abingdon Road were shut.

Oxford City Council is considering whether to refurbish the park toilets, which are in a poor state of repair. The Abingdon Road lavatories were shut as part of a £35,000 cost-cutting measure.

Miss Cherry said the incident at Hinksey Pool had nothing to do with the lack of public toilets in or near the park.

She said: "Obviously the loos are locked up over night, so no-one trying to get in would be able to use them anyway."

An Oxford police spokesman said they had received a call about "unsavoury characters" at the swimming pool.

She said: "We did get a call about this, but our inquiries are complete."