FEHD closes Happy Valley pool over suspected fake lifeguard certificate

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department has ordered the immediate closure of a licensed swimming pool at a private housing estate in Happy Valley after discovering that a lifeguard on duty was suspected of using a fraudulent certificate, authorities said on Thursday.

Officers verified a batch of lifeguard records with the Hong Kong China Life Saving Society on Wednesday and found that the credentials of one lifeguard at the pool on Ventris Road did not match official records. The pool licensee is also suspected of failing to provide a sufficient number of qualified lifeguards as required by law.

The FEHD said it is considering prosecuting the licensee and has reported the incident to police. The Property Management Services Authority has also been notified.

Since May 2025, the FEHD has stepped up inspections and introduced enhancement measures, including a tiered penalty mechanism. From January to July this year, officers conducted about 7,000 inspections of over 1,400 licensed private swimming pools and verified the qualifications of about 2,100 lifeguards.

𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗔𝗽𝗽 ↓