From Whitley Bay to Clacton, Margate to Torbay, England boasts some of the best and cleanest beaches in the world.
Today, Keep Britain Tidy is announcing the winners of the 2014 Blue Flag and Seaside Awards. In total 168 awards have been won by beaches around the country, with 56 beaches gaining the Blue Flag and 112 picking up the Seaside Award.
Visitors to the newly awarded sites are not only assured of a great day out at some of our best loved beaches but can have confidence that their visit will be both safe and enjoyable with all beaches having to maintain high standards of management, cleanliness and safety.
For many people going to the beach also means a dip in the sea. The water quality at all award winning beaches meets the required European Union standards, with the water quality at Blue Flag beaches subject to even tougher tests, meeting the very highest international standards.
Once again this year Thanet in Kent has claimed the title for the most Blue Flag beaches with seven, closely followed by Poole, Torbay, Bournemouth and Isle of Wight which have four each. Joining them on four this year, from three in 2013, are North Norfolk and Tendring.
The Isle of Wight boasts the highest number of flags in total with four Blue Flags and 13 Seaside Awards.
Richard McIlwain, Programmes Director for the charity Keep Britain Tidy, which is responsible for the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards in England, said: “It’s fantastic news for everyone who loves visiting the seaside that more than 160 beaches will be flying a flag that guarantees the public the best facilities and the cleanest beaches this summer.
”Keep Britain Tidy is celebrating its Diamond Jubilee and over the past 60 years we have tirelessly campaigned to improve the quality of our local environment. We have some fantastic coastline and we know that communities up and down the country love their beaches. They provide opportunities for people to get outside, relax and have fun for free, while visitors to our beaches often provide support for local jobs and inward investment at sea-front resorts.
“We know that for many holiday-makers and daytrippers clean, safe beaches, with good water quality and facilities are important factors in deciding which beach to visit and the continuing quality of management at these beaches is a real testament to the dedication, hard work and investment that local authorities and other beach managers put in year after year.
“The sight of the Blue Flag or Seaside Award flying gives visitors the reassurance that they’ll have a great time”
