Urgent warning over swimwear worn by two-thirds of children in UK

24 June 2024 , 06:37

1345 0

Millions of children are potentially at risk while swimming due to swimwear that is invisible underwater, a new campaign warns. Two-thirds of children don blue, white or grey swimwear which becomes almost invisible under water, making it incredibly difficult to spot them if they encounter difficulties while swimming.

On the Beach, the package holiday specialists, is urging the future government to ban retailers from selling swimwear that can't be seen under water. The company conducted tests on the most popular shades of swimwear at a depth of 2m to determine which colours were visible, and found that blue, white and grey became nearly invisible even at the shallow depth.

Research reveals that 90% of parents were unaware that certain swimwear colours cannot be seen underwater. On the Beach has launched a Change.Org petition, in collaboration with Olympic gold medallist, Rebecca Adlington, imploring the government to urgently reassess legislation around selling blue, white and grey coloured swimwear for children.

Zoe Harris, chief customer officer, said: "I'm horrified that so many retailers are putting children in potential danger by selling swimwear that can't be seen underwater.

"Either retailers aren't aware of the dangers, or they simply can't see past the fact that these colours are some of the most popular ones that keeps the cash rolling in. They need to do better by their customers and put safety before profits."

Grant Shapps' anti-strike legislation breaches international law, experts say

Rebecca Adlington testing the swimwear

Rebecca Adlington said: "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 feel like I should have been aware of this sooner. Alongside On the Beach I'm urging the future government to review the legislation around selling blue, white and grey swimwear to children so that retailers are being safe and helping look after our children by not selling unseeable swimwear that could put them in danger.["

Backing the call for increased water safety, Matt Croxall from the Royal Life Saving Society UK (RLSS UK) commented: "]At the Royal Life Saving Society UK, it is our mission to ensure that everyone enjoys water safely. We're delighted that On the Beach is working hard to raise awareness of the importance of water safety."

"We would urge parents to choose brightly coloured swimwear for their children while planning their holidays, rather than colours such as blue, white and grey, which are more difficult to see underwater. Brightly coloured swimwear makes it even easier to keep your child under constant supervision when playing and swimming in the water."

Bblue, despite being the most chosen colour for children's swimwear in the UK, is actually the hardest to spot under water.

A chart showing how swimwear of different colours looks under water

Colour expert Lee Chambers has warned: "It can be much harder to see swimwear in blue, white and grey due to how water interacts differently with certain wavelengths of light, how we perceive colour at depth when submersed, lack of light reflection and how colour blends when underwater. The lack of contrast, disruption of outline and camouflage effect can all play a role in making swimwear in these colours difficult to discern, lack visibility and go unnoticed, a potential safety risk in comparison to colours that reflect light and have a sharper contrast."

On the Beach is now urging parents to scrutinise their children's swimwear before jetting off on holiday this summer. They are advocating for parents to swap out their children's blue, white and grey swimwear for more vibrant alternatives.

Swimwear colours that are hard to spot underwater include:

Blue.

White.

Grey.