Now that the sun is finally starting to peek out from behind the clouds, it’s not long before we all start packing the factor 50 and heading for the nearest beach. If the weather gets particularly balmy, you might even be tempted to head into the water for a swim.
There’s a lot of talk right now about the tons of sewage being dumped into UK waters, so it can be difficult to know exactly where we can bathe without fear of swimming through something gross. But that’s where the Blue Flag award comes in.
This official designation recognises beaches across the globe for ‘meeting the highest environmental standards’ and ‘international bathing water quality standards’. This year’s list has just been revealed and features a total 77 beaches across England.
Two beaches, Sandbanks in Poole, Dorset, and Oddicombe in Torbay, Devon, have been included in the prestigious list every single year since it was first launched 36 years ago. Summerleaze in Cornwall and Beer in East Devon made the list for the first time.
However, East Runton, Mundesley and Sea Palling in Norfolk and Brighton Central have all lost their status because their water quality has deteriorated.
Allison Ogden-Newton, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy, said: ‘The Blue Flag is the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas, and in order to qualify, each application must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.
‘We’d therefore like to recognise and applaud all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular beaches. The collective efforts of beach managers, volunteers, residents and businesses all contribute to the success of these sites in achieving the incredibly high standards demanded.’
Here is the full list of beaches in England that have been awarded a Blue Flag for 2023:
East Midlands
- Central Beach, Mablethorpe
- Central Beach, Skegness
- Central Beach, Sutton on Sea
East of England
- Felixstowe South and Pier
- Southwold
- Cromer
- Sheringham
- West Runton
- East Beach Shoeburyness
- Shoebury Common
- Thorpe Bay
- Three Shells Beach
- Westcliff Bay
- Dovercourt Bay
- Brightlingsea
- Frinton on Sea
- Walton on the Naze Albion Beach
North East
- Tynemouth Longsands
- Kings Edwards Bay
- Whitley Bay
- Roker
- Seaburn
Yorkshire & Humber
- Scarborough North Bay
- Whitby
- Hornsea
- Withernsea
South East
- Hove Lawns
- Tankerton
- Marina St Leonards
- Hayling Island Beachlands
- Sandown
- Sheerness Beach
- Minster Leas
- Botany Bay
- Joss Bay
- Minnis Bay
- St Mildreds
- Margate Main Sands
- Stone Bay
- West Wittering Beach
South West
- Blackpool Sands
- Poole, Sandbanks Peninsular
- Poole, Shore RoAD
- Poole, Canford Cliffs
- Poole, Branksome Chine
- Alum Chine
- Bournemouth Manor Steps
- Durley Chine
- Fisherman's Walk
- Southbourne
- Avon Beach
- Friars Cliff Beach
- Highcliffe Beach
- Carbis Bay
- Crooklets
- Gyllyngvase
- Porthmeor
- Polzeath
- Porthtowan
- Summerleaze
- Trevone Bay
- Widemouth Bay
- Beer
- Exmouth
- Seaton
- Sidmouth Bay
- Croyde Bay
- Swanage Central
- Dawlish Warren
- Breakwater Beach
- Broadsands
- Meadfoot Beach
- Oddicombe Beach
- Preston Sands
- Torre Abbey Sands
- Westward Ho!
- Weymouth Beach
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