It’s half term next week and the end of October - which means it ranks as my least favourite school break of the year.

The weather is (usually) poor, once you’ve seen one pumpkin you’ve seen them all and, after a day or two between muddy parks, we’re usually clamouring for something to do indoors that won’t break the bank before Rudolph reappears.

Swimming right? That’s a cheap and cheerful activity to kill an afternoon? Or so I thought.

Since when did a basic trip to council-owned swimming baths command such big admission charges?

My shock would suggest we’re not regular visitors - and you’d be right - but at almost £8, £10 or £12 an adult is anyone at these prices?

As kids we rode the flumes most Friday nights as a family at our nearest pool so either prices have increased ten-fold or my inheritance went down the rapids.

Today we dip our toes most frequently during the summer - usually at Kent’s outdoor pools - so maybe I’ve paid little attention to the cost when it feels like I’m abroad for a fraction of the hassle.

But in a damp October these prices sure hit different.

Most pools within easy reach of us are charging anything between £20 to £40 for a family swim today - sometimes more if you need to factor in parking on top.

What’s more - rather than calling time when the kids’ lips are blue and their skin like prunes - sessions are mostly capped at anything between an hour and a quarter and two hours.

A 75 or 90 minute session? For something close to £30 or £40? Have these people been into changing rooms with children?

You can swallow 20 minutes manhandling toddlers into nylon, tip-toeing through bodily fluids unknown in the toilets and forcing the contents of your kitchen sink into one tiny locker while arguing about who still has their trainers on after you’ve slammed the door.

Huge increases in utilities and renovations no doubt play a big part in these prices - heating a communal bath under this winter’s energy cap won’t offer much change.

But that said, swimming is a necessary skill and good fitness for families so it’s a shame prices have morphed into something that makes it more of a luxury outing, and into the same category as the cinema, than a do-able weekly hobby at a time when people’s activity levels are plummeting.