COUNCIL officials are trying to introduce a dress code in a bid to stop hanky panky at a sauna which was listed as a meeting point in a gay magazine.

But the move has been slammed as ludicrous by a councillor who witnessed the incident between two naked men which led to the move.

Council officers have suggested customers at the sauna suite at Haslingden Baths wear swimwear rather than going naked.

That is virtually unheard of for single sex sessions in local authority and private sauna facilities.

Regular sauna user Coun Jeff Cheetham said: "I think this is outrageous and I will vigorously oppose these plans.

"There was an incident in about February or March this year. There were two men engaging in sexual activity and I told them to stop and get out before I called the police.

"I reported it to the management and suggested to the council that we bring in user ID cards, which we did. Since then, to my knowledge, there have been no incidents at all.

"I don't have any objection to people's sexual preferences but everyone's activities must be conducted in private, not in a public sauna."

Last year police went on patrol in the sauna suite at Haslingden Baths after managers became aware that it might have been advertised in a gay magazine. Police suggested that Rossendale Borough Council place an advert in the magazine to set the record straight but the council did not know which magazine was involved.

The popular sauna suite, at the East Bank Avenue baths, has a sauna, steam room, jacuzzi and showers and holds mixed and single-sex sessions.

Coun Cheetham said: "I used to own a private sauna in Bolton. When the first AIDS scare happened I contacted the public health department to see if there any steps I should take to protect customers. They told me that, because of the temperature in the sauna, sexually transmitted diseases could not be passed on.

"I feel very strongly about this issue, as do a lot of sauna members. I do not see why there should be a dress code. I am the only councillor to use these facilities and, although I am not a member of the leisure committee, I have asked for permission to speak at the meeting when it discusses this issue."

In a report to councillors, the council's assistant leisure officer Ken Claxon said it was not common practice in to have a dress code for single sex sessions.

He said: "It is normally up to the discretion of the customer. However, most commercial operations running health suites, especially hotels, do have a dress code. But these are for mixed sessions."

Mr Claxon consulted with various public bodies and found there was no need for a dress code to be introduced on health grounds.

But he said a dress code could prevent embarrassment to staff and customers as the council couldn't guarantee whether the attendant who may have to enter the suite would be male or female.

Councillors are due to discuss the dress code proposals on Tuesday.