The UK has brought new solar storm forecasting tools into operational use to help protect flights, GPS navigation and the electricity grid. The systems were developed through the £20 million SWIMMR research programme.

The tools are already being used in live forecasting systems, marking a shift from academic research to day-to-day operational monitoring of space weather threats. An independent evaluation by Frazer-Nash Consultancy found the programme met its main goals of improving forecast accuracy, widening access to data and speeding the transfer of research into service.

Space weather is caused by eruptions from the Sun, including coronal mass ejections, which can disrupt satellites, communications, navigation systems and electricity networks on Earth. In the UK’s National Risk Register, severe space weather is classed as a top-tier national risk. A National Audit Office estimate put the potential economic impact of a major event at £9 billion.

The SWIMMR programme was led by the Science and Technology Facilities Council and the Natural Environment Research Council, in partnership with the Met Office, the British Geological Survey, the British Antarctic Survey and RAL Space. It ran for five years and brought together universities, national laboratories and industry partners in the UK and overseas.

One of the clearest tests came during the geomagnetic storm that swept across Earth in May 2024 and produced widespread auroral displays over the UK. While the Northern Lights drew public attention, scientists at the British Geological Survey used a new forecasting system to identify electricity substations most exposed to geomagnetically induced currents.

The system gave grid operators earlier warning of possible electrical imbalances. Programme backers said it was the first time the UK had this level of operational foresight into how a severe solar storm might affect parts of the power network.

Quicker transfer

The evaluation found that five UK-developed forecasting models are now moving into operational use at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre. They cover radiation hazards, solar wind, ionospheric disruption and impacts on electricity networks.

A cloud-based platform developed through the programme has also cut the time needed to transfer research models into operational systems. According to the evaluation, that process has fallen from several years to about six months.

New measurement tools are supplying live data to the Met Office operation, with the aim of improving response times when threats emerge for satellites, communications systems, aviation and the power grid. Full integration into operational services is expected by the end of 2026.

Professor Ian McCrea, Resilient Society theme lead at RAL Space and head of the SWIMMR programme, described the programme’s effect on UK readiness.

“SWIMMR has delivered a major advance in the UK’s space-weather capability, turning cutting-edge research into improved operational forecasting tools to protect satellites, aviation and the electricity grid. It has strengthened the UK’s ability to understand and respond to severe solar activity in real time, placing the UK among the leading nations developing operational space-weather forecasting capability through close international collaboration,” McCrea said.

Operational models

Among the projects highlighted is a model for forecasting high-energy electron activity in radiation belts around Earth. Before this work, the UK did not have real-time forecasts for those regions, despite the risk they pose to satellites carrying navigation, weather and communications services.

The work was led by the British Antarctic Survey with Imperial College London, the universities of Reading, Northumbria and Sheffield, and the Met Office. The model is now in pre-operational use at the Met Office Space Weather Operations Centre.

Another strand focused on radiation exposure on polar air routes, where passengers and crew can face higher levels of radiation during solar storms. The University of Surrey developed and installed sensors on commercial aircraft and weather balloons, feeding real-time readings into the Met Office.

Using those measurements, Surrey developed MAIRE+, described as the UK’s first real-time model of aviation radiation exposure during normal conditions and solar storms. A related model, MAIRE-R, extends the work to very high altitudes, and both are now in pre-operational use.

Simon Machin, manager of the Met Office Space Weather Programme and meteorologist, said the collaboration had changed the speed at which forecasting tools could be adopted.

“SWIMMR has fundamentally changed the way we bring space-weather research into operational forecasting. By working directly with researchers throughout the programme, we have been able to move new models and data streams into live forecasting far more quickly than was previously possible. That means better situational awareness during severe space-weather events and earlier warning of potential impacts affecting satellites, communications, aviation and the electricity grid,” Machin said.

Industry testing

The programme also expanded testing of electronics exposed to radiation linked to solar storms. At the ChipIr facility within the ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, the NILE laboratory was added to let engineers assess how components perform under a broader range of radiation conditions.

Researchers said the work showed that solar-driven neutron events can trigger cascading failures in vulnerable components. The facility is described as the only one of its kind in Europe, and technology companies are using it to test network routers, data centre hardware and high-power semiconductors.

In total, SWIMMR included 11 connected projects and involved more than 70 organisations. The programme established 29 domestic and 33 international partnerships, while about 40 specialist roles were created or sustained over five years.

The independent evaluation also found the programme generated about 60 pence of additional investment for every £1 of public funding. “The priority now is ensuring these advances are embedded in operational services and continue to evolve through real-world use,” McCrea said.

SOFIAH NICHOLE SALIVIO

News Editor

Ecommpay has agreed a marketing campaign with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, aimed at ICAEW communities that advise UK small businesses.

The campaign will give accountants and advisers access to guidance and insight on payments, banking and cash flow issues for smaller companies selling online.

ICAEW has more than 170,000 qualified members across 150 countries and runs both a Small and Micro Business Community and a Small Practitioners Community. Ecommpay wants to use the agreement to reach those groups directly.

The move centres on Ecommpay’s self-serve payments product for UK-registered small businesses. Built for online merchants, the service is intended to let users start taking payments quickly after onboarding.

According to Ecommpay, the product includes a hosted payment page and standard support for Visa, Mastercard, Apple Pay and Google Pay. It also offers payment links for social commerce and bespoke business-to-business orders, alongside a basic recurring payments function.

Merchants can use direct plugins for WooCommerce, Magento 2 and Xero without developer involvement, the company said. All features operate through a single merchant account and unified dashboard, which Ecommpay said can reduce reconciliation problems linked to running several payment tools.

Adviser focus

The agreement reflects the role accountants often play in helping smaller companies choose systems for payments and cash management. For many small businesses, those advisers are the first point of contact on financial processes, as well as tax and reporting.

Rick Asiyani, Head of Commercial Partnerships, ICAEW, said the organisation’s member groups are closely involved in advising smaller firms.

“Our dedicated communities serve the accountants and advisers who guide UK small businesses on a variety of financial aspects including payments, banking and cash flow management,” said Asiyani.

“The sponsored content from Ecommpay will provide access to a wealth of payments knowledge for our members working with small businesses,” he added.

Platform detail

Ecommpay said its small business offer is designed to address limits many smaller merchants face when trying to broaden the payment methods available to customers. Lower sales volumes can make it harder for those businesses to secure the same payment set-up used by larger companies, it said.

Max Ryzhov, Chief Product Officer, Ecommpay, said the company has built a product specifically for that part of the market.

“Small businesses often face limitations in the payment options they are able to provide to their customers, as their smaller volumes mean they cannot access enterprise-quality payment infrastructure. At Ecommpay we are committed to inclusive payments for all businesses and individuals and have designed and built a dedicated small business self-serve payments platform to resolve this challenge.

“We aim to provide accountants and financial advisers working with small businesses with access to practical, easy-to-implement guidance on payments infrastructure that they can share with their clients,” said Ryzhov.

Ecommpay said the hosted payment page is brandable and has been accredited for accessibility by the Digital Accessibility Centre. The page is built in by default and can be launched from the merchant dashboard without technical support, it added.

Ecommpay, founded in 2012 and headquartered in London, operates in payments processing and acquiring. Its broader platform supports more than 100 payment methods and combines those services through a single application programming interface, according to the company.

Kim Hutchison, 60, and Harry Grieve, 57, were staying in a Travelodge in Dundee when the early morning incident happened last month.

Ms Hutchison said she was “petrified” before the man – wearing just shorts – left after about a minute of arguing over who was actually in the wrong room.

READ MORE: MP meets Travelodge bosses following room key assault case

Travelodge, which has headquarters in Thame, apologised to the couple and said room access security policies were not correctly followed.

Earlier this year, a man was jailed for sexually assaulting a woman in her hotel bed after Travelodge staff gave him a key card and her room number.

Kyran Smith had gone to the reception of the Maidenhead branch of the hotel chain in the early hours in December 2022 and said he was the woman’s boyfriend.

He was jailed for seven-and-a-half years following the assault.

The chain’s chief executive Jo Boydell apologised to the victim and said changes would ensure additional or replacement keys were only issued with permission from the person staying in the room.

In the latest incident, Ms Hutchison and Mr Grieve had been visiting relatives in Dundee and had gone to bed at the Strathmore Avenue branch of Travelodge, before they were disturbed at 2am on July 11.

“I just woke up, I had heard the door click, and sat up in bed,” Hutchison told the BBC.

“Here was a guy at the bottom of the bed, just standing with shorts on. He had something in his hand which I took to be the key card for the room.”

It is understood that the man had made a mistake regarding the room number, believing he was in room 316 not 313.

Mr Grieve, who works in Aberdeenshire, got dressed and went down to reception to try to find out what had happened and “get some answers” about why a stranger had been able to get into their room.

Following their complaint, the couple were given a room refund, as well as a £100 Travelodge voucher – which Mr Grieve said he doubted they would use.

The couple decided to publicise their case after becoming aware of the Maidenhead assault.

In April, Freddie van Mierlo, Liberal Democrat MP for Henley and Thame, met the senior leadership team at Travelodge’s headquarters in Thame to discuss guest and employee safety following serious concerns about hotel room security.

Henley and Thame MP Frieddie van Mierlo (Image: Contributed)

Travelodge said it was “very sorry” for what had happened, and that customer safety and security was a priority.

“Any case of an unauthorised person entering a guest’s room is a significant cause for concern and we want to be clear that this should not have happened,” a statement said.

“Our updated room access security policies were not correctly followed in this instance, which is not acceptable.

“We have retrained the team at our Dundee Strathmore Avenue hotel on our updated room security and check-in procedures, and would like to apologise again to Mr Grieve and Ms Hutchison for their experience with us.”

The previously-announced Travelodge safety review remains ongoing.