When the sun finally does come (and we think it’s on the way this weekend), Brits will be able to choose from more than 50 UK beaches which have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag.
And for those who think the Blue Flag mark is over the top, a further 113 beaches have been handed Seaside Awards by Keep Britain Tidy.
Both awards recognise the high standards of beaches, judging water quality, environmental management, safety and services.
The UK’s most successful region is Thanet in Kent, which has eight Blue Flag awards in 2013. The Dorset regions of Poole and Bournemouth scored well with four Blue Flags, as did Torbay in Devon and the Isle of Wight, which also has 13 Seaside Awards.
Other well-known beaches to receive Blue Flags in 2013 include Central Beach in Skegness; Lowestoft South Claremont in Suffolk; Martello Bay at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex, and Whitby in Yorkshire.
However some beaches across the UK suffered in the Blue Flag awards after the EU doubled the required standard for water bathing quality, and heavy rains meant that there was an increase in bacteria during the monitoring periods.
Chris Jackson, chairman of the North Wales Tourism Partnership, says the Blue Flag award is not always an appropriate measure of a beach’s quality. “The Blue Flag is like a sublime spa beach that has everything provided there. I certainly like to think the British public is more resilient and sophisticated than that.”
See the full list of Blue Flag and Seaside Awards beaches.
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