Accessibility statement for BeFloodWarned

This accessibility statement applies to befloodwarned.org.

This website is run by East Sussex County Council. We want as many people as possible to be able to use this website. For example, that means you should be able to:

• change colours, contrast levels and fonts using browser or device settings
• zoom in up to 200% on web without the text spilling off the screen
• navigate most of the website using a keyboard or speech recognition software
• listen to most of the website using a screen reader (including the most recent version of VoiceOver)

We've also made the website text as simple as possible to understand.

AbilityNet has advice on making your device easier to use if you have a disability.

How accessible this website is

We know some parts of this website are not fully accessible:

• some pages and document attachments are not fully compatible with screen readers
• some interactive maps and charts are difficult to navigate using only a keyboard
• some images do not yet have suitable alternative text
• colour contrast on certain elements may not meet WCAG 2.2 AA standards

Feedback and contact information

If you find any problems not listed on this page or think we're not meeting accessibility requirements, contact us.

If you need information on this website in a different format like accessible PDF, large print, easy read, audio recording or braille, please contact us.

We'll consider your request and get back to you.

Enforcement procedure

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is responsible for enforcing the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018 (the 'accessibility regulations'). If you're not happy with how we respond to your complaint, contact the Equality Advisory and Support Service (EASS).

Technical information about this website's accessibility

East Sussex County Council is committed to making its website accessible, in accordance with the Public Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) (No. 2) Accessibility Regulations 2018.

Compliance status

The website has been tested against the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 AA standard.

This website is partially compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2 AA standard, due to the non-compliances listed below.

Some parts of this website rely on third-party services such as Mapbox, Hydromaster and Recaptcha. We do not control these services and cannot guarantee they meet the same accessibility standards.

Non-accessible content

The content listed below is non-accessible for the following reasons.

Non-compliance with the accessibility regulations

Screen reader navigation

• Some interactive elements, including maps, rainfall graphs, and area search features, are difficult to navigate using screen readers and may highlight off-screen elements. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 2.1.1 (Keyboard).
  We are investigating how to improve these components or provide accessible alternatives, such as text-based summaries of rainfall forecasts.

Focus order and keyboard navigation

• Some components (such as the footer links, cookie banner, menu, and verification steps) do not correctly manage focus order. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 2.4.3 (Focus Order) and 3.2.2 (On Input).
  We are reviewing focus management across the site to ensure users can navigate consistently using keyboard or assistive technologies.
• If a table is too wide to fit on the screen, the hidden information cannot be reached with a keyboard. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.1.1 (Keyboard).

Responsive design and text scaling

• Some text does not scale properly on mobile devices, and certain interface elements behave inconsistently across screen sizes. In particular, font scaling does not work correctly in the Safari browser, which may make it difficult for users to enlarge text using device accessibility settings.
• This fails WCAG 2.2 success criteria 1.4.4 (Resize Text) and 1.4.10 (Reflow). We plan to improve responsive design, font scaling, and browser compatibility to meet mobile accessibility requirements.

Non-text content and images

• Some background or decorative images (such as the waves animation) are read out unnecessarily by screen readers, and some images (including the BeFloodWarned logo in the footer) do not have descriptive alternative text. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (Non-text Content).
  We are reviewing all images to ensure meaningful alternative text is provided or marked as decorative where appropriate.
• Some animated elements, such as background wave effects, cannot be paused or stopped by the user. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 2.2.2 (Pause, Stop, Hide).
• We are reviewing these animations to provide controls for pausing or to replace them with static alternatives where appropriate.
• Some images do not have a text alternative, so people using a screen reader cannot access the information. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 1.1.1 (non-text content). We are reviewing all images to ensure meaningful alternative text is provided or marked as decorative where appropriate.

Form labels and input fields

• Certain form fields, such as the Sign Up for Alerts and postcode search, lack descriptive helper text or announce incorrect labels.
  This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 3.3.2 (Labels or Instructions). We plan to update form elements and verification steps to improve clarity for screen reader users.

Announcements and live updates

• Dynamic confirmation messages (such as those shown after verifying or submitting forms) are not automatically announced to assistive technologies. This fails WCAG 2.2 success criterion 4.1.3 (Status Messages). We are reviewing live regions and ARIA labels to ensure success and error messages are properly conveyed.

Third-party content

• Some embedded third-party components, such as Mapbox, Hydromaster and Recaptcha, may not fully meet accessibility standards. These are outside of our control, but we are exploring accessible alternatives and providing supporting text where possible.

What we're doing to improve accessibility

We are committed to making the BeFloodWarned website as accessible and usable as possible for everyone.

We are committed to improving accessibility for all users and are taking the following steps:

• conducting a detailed accessibility audit to confirm compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA
• reviewing all focus, navigation, and interactive components to meet screen reader and keyboard accessibility standards
• updating text scaling, contrast, and responsive layouts to improve mobile usability
• ensuring that all images, icons, and decorative elements include appropriate alternative text
• testing interactive charts and maps to determine accessible alternatives
• embedding accessibility checks into our design and development process for all new content

We will update this statement as we address these issues and complete our testing.

Preparation of this accessibility statement

This statement was prepared on 9 October 2025 and last reviewed on 9 October 2025.

This website was last tested on 8 October 2025 against the WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standard.

The test was carried out by 3 Sided Cube. The most frequently viewed pages were tested using a combination of automated tools and manual checks by our website team.