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Parents are being warned to avoid choosing certain colours of swimwear for their children if they want to keep them safe in the water on their family holidays.
Olympic swimming champion Rebecca Adlington is fronting a campaign to raise awareness of the dangers of blue, white and grey swimwear, which cannot be seen underwater.
Launching a petition for the government to introduce legislation to stop retailers from selling children’s swimwear in these colours, the campaign highlights that children could get into difficulty but receive no assistance as their swimwear would make them camouflaged with the water.
If children ended up at the bottom of a pool they could be almost impossible to spot and in danger of drowning.
Promoted by On The Beach, the petition urging Keir Starter’s government to take urgent action has so far attracted 2,745 signatures.
Rebecca says: “I’ve swam my entire life and I’ve only recently become aware that there are certain colours that can’t be seen underwater. As a parent, I should have been aware of this sooner.”
“Together with On The Beach, I’m urging the new government to review the legislation around selling blue, white and grey swimwear to children to ensure retailers are being safe and helping look after our children by not selling swimwear that could put them in danger.”
According to research, 66 per cent of children own swimwear in blue, white and grey, potentially putting two thirds of the population in danger in the water, whether that’s the pool or the sea.
Additionally, 90 per cent of parents are unaware about the dangers of swimwear in these colorways, suggesting that more needs to be done to raise awareness for water safety.
On The Beach is also giving away 5,000 pieces of free swimwear to customers with a valid booking, to further help boost water safety this summer.
