These are the 71 cleanest beaches in England, with Blue Flag awards to prove it
If you’re planning a staycation this summer then you’re in luck, as there are officially 71 brilliant beaches across England that boast high levels of cleanliness, beauty and safety.
The high-standard beaches were revealed by campaign group, Keep Britain Tidy, who have just announced the winners of their Blue Flag Awards 2019.
What is Blue Flag status?
The award is a guarantee to visitors that the beach is free from litter, has excellent facilities, and has a high standard of water quality.
The award scheme was originally launched in 1987, when only 12 English beaches earned Blue Flag status for cleanliness. Fortunately, we've come a long way since then, with 71 being named this year - an increase of 18 on last year.
Today we announce England's #BestBeaches with the 2019 Blue Flag and Seaside Awards 💙🏳️🌊 There are 71 Blue Flag & 137 Seaside Award-winning beaches - 18 more than last year. See the full list here: https://t.co/wYjiJJUPI0 pic.twitter.com/0AUSGAtbyI
- Keep Britain Tidy 🚮 (@KeepBritainTidy) May 15, 2019
According to Keep Britain Tidy, new research showed that 15% of parents admit they’ll only visit an award-winning beach to guarantee the safety of their children.
The number of beaches awarded Blue Flag status this year is up from 65 last year, showing that the cleanliness of our beaches are improving.
“Keep Britain Tidy leads the fight for clean, plastic-free beaches,” Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said.
“We are committed to creating a great environment on our doorstep for everyone to enjoy and offering a quality mark that shows everyone just how fantastic our beaches can be. Blue Flag and Seaside Awards set the standard for our beaches.
“It’s brilliant to see so many beaches winning Blue Flag and Seaside Award status this year, thanks to dedication and hard work of beach staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards.”
As you may have predicted, the region with the most Blue Flag beaches is the South West, with a whopping 32 stretches of coastline achieving the high status. Whereas, Yorkshire only scored one beach each with the reputable label.
Here is the full list of all 71 Blue Flag beaches in England by region…
71 Blue Flag beaches in 2019
East Midlands – 5 Blue Flag awards
Ingoldmells South
Central Beach, Mablethorpe
Central Beach, Skegness
Central Beach, Sutton on Sea
Cleethorpes Central
East of England – 12 Blue Flag awards
Cromer
Sea Palling
Sheringham
Mundesley
East Runton
West Runton
East Beach Shoeburyness
Shoebury Common
Thorpe Bay
Three Shells Beach
Dovercourt Bay
Brightlingsea
North East – 6 Blue Flag awards
Tynemouth Longsands
King Edwards Bay
Whitley Bay
Saltburn by the sea
Roker
Seaburn
Yorkshire & Humber – 1 Blue Flag award
Whitby
South East – 15 Blue Flag awards
Brighton Central
Hove Lawns
Tankerton
Marina St Leonards
Hayling Island Beachlands
Sheerness Beach
Minster Leas
Minnis Bay
West Bay
St Mildreds
Botany Bay
Margate Main Sands
Stone Bay
Westbrook bay
West Wittering Beach
South West – 32 Blue Flag awards
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
Carbis Bay
Gyllyngvase, Cornwall
Porthmeor, Cornwall
Great Western, Cornwall
Porthtowan, Cornwall
Trevone Bay, Cornwall
Widemouth Bay, Cornwall
Sandy Bay
Exmouth East
Challaborough Bay
Croyde Bay
Swanage Central
Dawlish Warren
Teignmouth Town
Breakwater Beach
Broadsands
Meadfoot Beach
Oddicombe Beach
Preston Sands
Torre Abbey Sands
Westward Ho!
Weymouth Central
To find Blue Flag beaches in your area, you can also use this handy interactive map from Keep Britain Tidy.
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