Victorians could be in the poo, literally, if they sought relief at the local pool.

Victoria’s chief health officer Dr Rosemary Lester said there has been a three-fold increase in gastro cases after hot weather sparked people seeking to cool off at public swimming pools.

She urged those who have had diarrhea not to go into a swimming pool for at least 14 days after symptoms had stopped for fear of passing on the bug.

There were 155 Victorian cases of gastro caused by the cryptosporidium parasite last month, three times the February average of 53.