A mystery woman nicknamed 'the bathing lady' went for a three-hour dip in ancient Roman Baths - despite the water being closed off after a girl died of meningitis .

The woman  was filmed as she swam around the green waters at the popular attraction in Bath, Somerset.

Natalie Bochenski, a writer and journalist, shared the baffling incident on Twitter , reports Bristol Live.

She said: "Amy Currie and I are in the Roman Baths, in Bath. But not in like this chick."

She nicknamed the mystery woman the "Bathing lady" and added she "seems to be a bit of a hippy".

The woman encouraged tourists to join her while staff members "painstakingly tried to negotiate her out [of the water]".

The crowd applauded her as she left the water - and one visitor said she’d been in it for three hours.

Ms Bochenski tweeted: "A hearty well done to the staff at the Roman Baths.

"They were so kind, patient and understanding; to other visitors as well as bathing lady."

The incident comes months after Extinction Rebellion protesters floated in the historic Roman Baths as they campaigned against the lack of government action on climate change.

The baths were once open to the public and used to provide water-cure treatments on prescription through the NHS from 1948 until 1976.

Swimmers used to bathe in the waters once a year as part of the Bath Festival.

The baths have however been closed off to the public since 1978, after a girl who swam in the water died of a meningitis-related illness.

After the death, the water in the Baths was found to be polluted by a dangerous amoeba that can give a form of meningitis.

Public bathing was banned on health grounds.