Maritime and Coastguard Agency - Water Safety Campaign – Sea Smart

3 April 2008

As the two week school holiday break approaches, a timely reminder from our London Resilience Partners at the Maritime and Coastguard Agency about water safety when at the seaside.

The Sea Smart campaign is the MCA’s primary water safety initiative and aimed at getting the safety message across to children and to reduce the many accidents involving children at the beach each year where hundreds of children get themselves into trouble. Problems range from getting swept out to sea on inflatables, being cut off by the tide to getting lost on the beach.

Schemes such as the Sea Smart Code and initiatives such as handing out beach bands, buckets and spades, pens and key rings with a safety message to children, plus promoting the safety message in libraries, schools, magazines and on television have proved to very popular so far, with hundreds of thousands of promotional items being distributed and educating the public to use 999 to contact the Coastguard in an emergency.

There is a dedicated Sea Smart website containing information on what to do in an emergency, information on the most popular UK beaches, beach safety, boat safety plus interactive games and downloads.

You can visit the Sea Smart website via the new London prepared webpage on Water Safety