One in five adults in the UK cannot swim!

Up to nine million adults - 20 per cent of men and 22 per cent of women over the age of 14 - are unable to swim, according to the Amateur Swimming Association.

An adult male swimming in a pool Photo: Google

One in five adults in the UK are unable to swim, a survey has revealed.

According to the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA), up to nine million men and women aged over 14 in UK have never learned to swim, with the highest number of non-swimmers above 65.

The group's study, which also suggested that 2.13 million adults want to learn to swim, calls on policy makers to ensure swimming is accessible to all.

Edward Lord, chair of the ASA group board, said: "We need the support of local and national policy makers to help ensure good quality, affordable, aquatic facilities remain available to all.

"We are working closely with pool operators and partners to develop local aquatic projects that encourage more people to take to the water."

Mr Lord added that more Britons would learn to swim if there was greater encouragement and support for the development of emerging talent to compete on the world stage.

ASA's findings come after it was revealed that almost half a million women in England have given up swimming in the past decade amid fears about how they look in the pool.

More than three times as many women as men stopped swimming between 2005 and 2014, with 455,300 no longer donning their bathing costumes for at least half an hour every week, according to a survey.

The ASA report also showed that swimming is the most popular participation sport in England, with more than 2.6 million adults doing 30 minutes of swimming at least once a week.

ASA chief executive Adam Paker said many adults suffer later in life after missing out on learning to swim at school.

He said: "The statistics released today show there is a great desire for people who missed out on learning to swim while at school to get in the water and take advantage of all the social and health benefits that swimming provides.

"There are many reasons why people may not feel confident in the water or are nervous about going to a pool, so we are working closely with community groups and local partners to identify and break down these barriers, and encourage the millions of adults who want to become a better swimmer to do so."