A MAN left with burn marks on his back after riding a water-slide at Cardiff International Pool has criticised management after they failed to identify the cause of his injuries.

Penarth resident Dr Marc Buehner, 45, visited the centre on Saturday, March 10 with his family and decided to go on the Space Bowl slide shortly before it was set to close for the day.

But within moments of embarking on the ride, Dr Buehner began to feel pain and a burning sensation in his back.

After exiting he told his family what had happened, who were stunned to see two holes burnt straight through his swimming shorts, with distinctive marks also appearing in the same places on his lower back.

When Dr Buehner informed the duty manager, he recorded the incident and assured him that he would be contacted within several days.

But when they got back in touch, Dr Buehner was told the investigation had found no faults with the slide and no explanation was given for what had happened.

While he was offered some free tickets to visit the pool again, Dr Buehner said he was shocked at what he saw as a lack of professionalism from management.

“I wrote back and stated that firstly, since I am a member of the pool, free tickets are of no use to me, but that I would appreciate replacement swimming trunks,” said Dr Buehner.

“Secondly, I asked what then would have caused the accident, if no fault on the slide was detected.

“This was met with stonewalling.”

Dr Buehner asked whether or not they were implying the incident was his own fault, however staff assured him this was not the case.

One month on, Dr Buehner says he has still not been given a proper response to his questions and is unhappy the pool have declined to reimburse him for the cost of his shorts.

“In the grand scheme of things, expecting you to replace the damaged trunks is not unreasonable,” Dr Buehner wrote in a letter to the management.

“I also note that you met this reasonable request with rudeness, which is deeply unprofessional.

“More importantly though, I am deeply concerned about your attitude and management practice.

“You acknowledged that I had an accident and have recorded it appropriately. Yet, you have not been able to provide me with a reason for why the accident has occurred.

“Surely it is perfectly normal for a customer who suffers injury and material loss to be given an explanation?”

Dr Buehner continued: “Your determination to obfuscate the reasons behind this incident give me reason to be concerned that similar incidents may occur. I dread to think how children or less able adults would have been affected had the same happened to them.”

Senior management at Cardiff International Pool have since agreed to meet with Dr Buehner to discuss his concerns.

A spokesman for Parkwood Leisure said: “Our own internal investigation found no issue with the slide or the water flow, with hundreds of other customers using the slide that day without incident.

“The safety of our customers is our priority and the slide is operated according to industry safety standards. It is formally checked by staff on a daily basis and quarterly inspections are carried out by external specialists.”