Isle of Wight Council has become the latest to use the Beach Check UK app.
It has begun to use the app – initially developed for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council in 2020 – to provide real time information on levels of crowding on beaches at Ryde, Sandown, Shanklin and Ventnor.
The app provides a traffic light system for individual beaches, showing red for crowded, amber of less congested and green for uncongested. It was developed to help people maintain social distancing when the first Covid-19 lockdown was lifted.
Other features include locations of public toilets, parking spaces, pubs, restaurants and places of interest. The council has included these working with the National Coastal Tourism Academy.
Expecting visitors
Councillor Jonathan Bacon, cabinet member for beaches, said: "We're delighted to join this exciting new initiative. We're expecting lots of visitors this summer and we want everyone to enjoy our beaches and to do so safely.
"Through Beach Check UK, people will be able to see how busy our beaches are in real time. Residents and visitors can use that information to help them choose whether to go to those beaches or visit others along the Island's coastline."
A group of councils in the south of England are now using the app, along with Redcar and Cleveland in the North East.
