Female fan left feeling ‘violated’ after spotting CCTV camera above the women’s toilets at Football League ground

A female fan has hit out at a Football League club for installing a CCTV camera above the ladies’ toilets in their stadium.

The Birmingham City supporter traveled to Swindon on Tuesday evening to watch the Blues play at the County Ground in the Football League Trophy.

Birmingham recorded a 2-1 win but it wasn’t an entirely happy evening for the visitors after one of their fans caught a glimpse on a CCTV camera while using the toilet.

As she headed to

The post was viewed more than two million times after it went viral, prompting Swindon to respond.

Swindon Town fan engagement officer Vicki Eyles said: ‘Sorry for any inconvenience, I would be happy to get back to you in more detail but please be assured that this has gone past the EFL and there is digital blur for the toilets. for the use of the hall.’

But the female supporter insisted Swindon’s explanation was not good enough during her conversation Birmingham Live about her ordeal.

She told the Midlands outlet: ‘At first I just thought “oh, this is strange” and then it dawned on me that someone could be looking in the box. It made me feel very exposed and, honestly, a little violated.”

‘I understand that they want to be able to monitor what is happening in the hall, but it is not right to do this above the ladies’ toilets. They claimed it was blurry so you can’t see what’s going on in there, but for me that’s not enough. Someone could easily remove the haze if they wanted to, or what happens if they fail? It’s a violation of privacy.’

Following further criticism from the traveling fan, Swindon addressed the issue again on their official website on Wednesday evening.

The club statement read: ‘We are aware that following Birmingham’s visit to the County Ground on Tuesday 14 January, a visiting supporter raised concerns about the location of one of our security cameras at the Away End of the Arkell’s Stand.

‘The camera is positioned so that it can see the away kiosk, the separation between home and away fans, the emergency exit stairs and the concourse.

‘The camera has no view of the toilets as this is blocked by a digital privacy haze, installed by security professionals who, together with the club, must adhere to security and privacy guidelines.’

‘The CCTV system is also operated by a Security Industry Authority approved security officer under the direction of the Security Officer and sometimes Wiltshire Police.

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‘Following our last report of concerns about the location of the camera during our match against AFC Wimbledon last season, we have expanded the camera signage around all areas of the Away End and throughout the stadium.

‘The images are used to identify people in the emergency area of ​​the hall in the event of an incident. It will be shared with the police upon request. The camera images are kept for 30 days. For further information please refer to the club’s CCTV policy, which can be accessed on our website. However, whilst the Club is confident that the current arrangements are fully compliant with data protection legislation, we will explore the possibility of taking additional measures to address fans’ concerns as soon as possible.

‘We work closely with our supporter groups, key club partners and our supporters and should fans have any concerns about the Nigel Eady County Ground, please do not hesitate to email media@swindontownfc.co.uk and we will address any issues at the stadium to ensure we can enhance the experience of attending home games in the future.”

Swindon play at home again on Saturday when they host Barrow in a League Two match.