Two beaches in Brighton and Hove have won Blue Flags while a third has received a Seaside Award from Keep Britain Tidy.
The charity, which runs the international accreditation scheme, said that Brighton Central and Hove Lawns were among 80 beaches around the country to have been awarded Blue Flags.
And Saltdean was among 128 British beaches to have received a Seaside Award.
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards schemes are aimed at improving the quality of the coastline and promoting Britain’s best beaches.
They measure beaches against standards for water quality, safety and cleanliness.
Blue Flag is an international award managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education.
It is presented only to well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes.
Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England to celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.
Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: “The success of these beaches in reaching the very high standards demanded is testament to all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve our blue spaces – from beach managers and volunteers to local residents and businesses.
“The huge commitment needed to maintain marvellous beaches worthy of these awards cannot be underestimated.
“People who visit a beach flying a Blue Flag or Seaside Award can be assured the beach will be clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as international bathing water quality standards.”
The standards measured include
- safety and services, such as first aid and, where necessary, lifeguards
- environmental management, including litter and waste
- visitor information about the environment including details about local eco systems
- water quality
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Blue Flag beaches are expected to meet the “excellent” water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive. Seaside Award winners must meet the “sufficient” standard.
The charity said that the awards were the only way for the public to be assured that beaches were a safe, clean and well-managed space for them to enjoy.
But it also said that because the coast was a natural environment where water quality could vary, particularly after heavy rain.
I hope the six young people that sat beside me on Hove beach yesterday read this. When they left they left behind plastic bottles, crisp packets and two empty cans. I picked it up and binned it.
This is good news, but it’s also a bit surprising.
When they assess a beach for blue flag status it’s about facilities as well as being about sea water quality.
We do have showers on many beaches but the state of some of our public loos is shocking.
We’ve also had water quality issues in the past year, with Southern Water dumping untreated sewage into the sea on days when there’s was no obvious need for that to happen.
Note that we do have a huge rainwater storage tunnel under our coastline which is supposed to prevent the need for road/drain water overflow on heavy rain days.
We’ve also has issues with our road drains because the council no longer weed the streets or sweep up leaves in autumn, and this has led to many kerb-side drains becoming blocked. In our road in Hove, the drain sumps do not appear to have been cleaned, and I understand that is supposed to happen at least once a year.
It’s also a bit weird that sea water quality is only monitored in the summer months, when many of us now use the sea for watersports all year round.
And don’t forget the Deans Volunteers who conduct regular beach cleans throughout the year to remove litter from the beach at Saltdean, as well as Rottingdean and Ovingdean. Every little helps!