English bathing water messaging service to warn swimmers and surfers of pollution hazards

The UK’s Environment Agency has awarded Meteor Communications a 3-year contract to issue bathing water alerts via text and email during the May to September bathing season. This move is in line with the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 which mandate the monitoring and reporting of bathing water quality around English coasts and at designated inland bathing waters.

The Environment Agency uses data from the Bathing Water Pollution Risk Forecasting system to model factors such as weather and tides to predict bathing water quality. Meteor Communications will be responsible for sending daily and intra-day Pollution Risk Forecast notification messages to Environment Agency Bathing Water Area Leads and Local Authorities that are responsible for managing beach access and signage to inform bathers on water quality status. The notifications will also be sent to digital public information signs located at some beach locations.

Meteor’s Director Andrew Scott expressed his delight at the awarding of the contract, stating that "water quality and communications are two of our key specialisms, so we are delighted to have been awarded this contract, and bathing water quality is a highly topical issue, so it is gratifying to be able to help."

With this contract, Meteor Communications will aid in the dissemination of pollution risk information to the public via Swimfo, a website dedicated to providing bathers with real-time updates on bathing water quality. This contract is aimed at ensuring that swimmers and surfers are kept informed of the latest pollution hazards in English bathing waters to promote their safety and wellbeing.