BORDERERS have become the first in Scotland to be protected by a pioneering new alerts system.

SB Alert will provide instant messages to thousands of households across the region regarding road closures, weather warnings, ongoing crimes and health advice.

Emergency planners at Scottish Borders Council have teamed up with local police, the health board, the fire and rescue service, and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland.

And with a grant of £5,000 from the Scottish Government they launched the phone-text-and-email warnings system last week.

Jim Fraser, emergency planning officer at Scottish Borders Council, told the Border Telegraph: “This system is now used extensively, and very successfully, south of the border.

“It is something we have thought about for some time and over the past three or four months we have been working with our partner agencies to adapt it to suit our area.

“We think that during an incident, SB Alert can help keep our local communities well informed so that they are the best possible position to respond and work with a range of public agency partners to support and assist their local towns and villages.” Since the messaging scheme was first adopted for emergency services and councils in Nottingham five years ago it has gained widespread use amongst English local authorities.

Near neighbours Cumbria have been using the system for over a year with more than 8,000 households now signed up.

Through initial work with the region’s resilient communities groups SB Alert had already attracted 300 registered users ahead of Thursday’s launch.

And it is hoped that a few thousand more will join them before the end of the year.

Mr Fraser added: “The more people that are signed up the better. It will be at its most effective when the vast majority of people are receiving the alerts.” A new website has been created - www.sbalert - for anyone wishing to sign up.

And libraries are also on stand-by to help for the 20 per cent of local residents who don’t have computer access.

Lisa Toon from Neighbourhood Watch Scotland has helped set up the system in the Borders.

She told us: “Messages can be sent to people across an entire area or be specific to regions of the Borders or even just council wards or individual communities.

“When registering people will be asked for their interests and demographics so that messages can be tailored for them. We can send messages that are specifically for farmers, horse owners or for people who live in one street. If there is a bogus caller operating in a street in Jedburgh we can alert all of the neighbours within a minute or two using this system.

“If there is a gang of shoplifters operating in a town we can alert every other business in the area. It can be very effective.” A choice of phone, text, email, or all three alerts is offered during the sign-up process.

And the option to withdraw from the scheme is available following registration.

Acting police inspector Keith Dougal believes SB Alert will be a key tool in keeping the Borders safe. He said: “We can get messages out there a lot quicker which is ideal when we are dealing with ongoing emergencies or crimes.

“This is instant and we can quickly get responses from people in the area. If there is a spate of bike thefts in Peebles we can target the messages to everyone in that area to be on their guard.

“With winter on its way there is also the option of offering advice about road conditions and weather forecasts - this can be tailored to suit any situation or event.” Although SB Alert will initially be run separately from the current schools alerts, it is hoped to integrate the systems at some point in the future.

SB Alert, which is also being piloted in Cumbernauld, went live last Thursday.

To sign up for alerts log onto www.sbalert.co.uk, visit your local library or call 0300 100 1800.