Your dream has become reality: you own a home in the French countryside. But the sizzling summers wilt your energy, and you have decided to take the plunge. That is: to build a private swimming pool.

You won't be alone. There are more than 1.1 million private pools in France, and the swimming pool market has doubled in the past 10 years, spiking after the long, hot summer of 2003.

But that increase was accompanied by an increase in tragic accidents; 15 to 20 children five or under die every year in French pools.

French law had been surprisingly lax about pool safety standards up to 2002, leaving the onus on the pool owner to make the choice to secure the pool against accidents or not.

But once pools sprouted up all over the countryside as well as in housing developments, the French government passed laws to minimize the risk these facilities pose to small children. Now, with the deadline for conforming to the new rules having come and gone, the government is already considering an update to the law.

What does the law say?

The new rules concern only private, in-ground outdoor pools. They do not extend to above-ground, on-ground or indoor pools.

Starting on January 1, 2004, all newly built private pools were required to be equipped with standardized security devices. All pools used for seasonal rentals such as gîtes have been subject to the new regulations since May 1, 2004.

Owners of existing private pools were granted two years to adapt to the regulations, but the law applies to all private pools since January 1 of this year. So, even if your pool was built before 2004, your safety apparatus should be set up by now.

And yet, despite the threat of a EUR 45,000 fine and possible criminal charges of death by negligence, some swimming pool owners have not yet installed safety equipment.

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