BOLTON comedian Peter Kay received a perfect 10 after dive-bombing into a swimming pool during an hilarious TV advert for beer.

Now he has caused a tidal wave that is threatening to overwhelm some of the swimming world's top athletes.

The sport's governing body, Fina, has told astonished divers that they could copy the comedian's technique at this summer's European Masters Championships in France.

The planned move, aimed at fostering competition among less naturally-gifted plungers, would allow them to hit the water feet-first for the first time.

European masters champion Rob Costa appeared in the advert with Peter -- but his near-perfect somersault received fewer marks than the Bolton funnyman's bomb.

After hearing about Fina's plans today he said: "It brings the sport into disrepute."

Millions of viewers have seen Peter get better marks than real divers in the ad by simply jumping in feet-first. He emerges from the water with his trunks at half mast.

Fina's move has come as a shock to Soho hairdresser Rick Stonell. Rick, who used to have a salon in Bolton, was Peter's body-double in the ad.

Even though the comedian jumped off the high board more than 30 times during filming, directors said they needed an even bigger splash.

So they called in Rick, who has been a body-double since the 1980s.

He said: "I'm a lot hairier than Peter so I had to shave off all my body hair to ensure that we looked a alike.

"All my friends keep saying they've seen my bottom at the end of the advert. But I'm not sure if it's mine -- it's probably Peter's."

Under new Fina competition rules, two feet-firsts will be allowed as part of a diver's seven dives.

But swimming teachers in Bolton are urging bathers not to try it themselves because it could be dangerous.

Sylvia McLoughlin, a swimming teacher at Horwich Leisure Centre, said: "A lot of children try to do dive-bombs but the lifeguards always stop them.

"Dive-bombs can be very dangerous to other swimmers."