Brightlingsea beaches have retained their Blue Flag and Seaside Award status for another year.
The internationally-recognised Blue Flags are given by the Keep Britain Tidy organisation to well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes.
To secure a Blue Flag, no industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area and beaches must achieve ‘excellent’ water quality as set out in the Bathing Water Directive.
Seaside awards recognise beaches that are clean, well-managed, with good toilet facilities and restrictions on dogs during the bathing season, as well as a host of other criteria.
Frinton beach and the Albion beach at Walton have also gained Blue Flags, with Harwich, Frinton, Walton-on-the-Naze’s Albion and Naze beaches, and Martello Bay in Clacton receiving Seaside Awards.
Two new beaches along the Essex Sunshine Coast have been awarded the prestigious Blue Flag for 2023, at Frinton and Walton-on-the-Naze’s Albion beach. Brightlingsea and Dovercourt Bay also retained their Blue Flag status.
In addition Brightlingsea, Harwich, Frinton, Walton-on-the-Naze’s Albion and Naze beaches, and Martello Bay in Clacton have all been given Seaside Awards in recognition of their quality.
Lee Heley, Tendring Council’s corporate director for place and economy, said: “Having the prestigious Blue Flags and Seaside Awards make for an excellent advert for the Essex Sunshine Coast, and we hope will attract more visitors to Tendring.”
He added: “In recognition of the importance of our coastline to the local economy, particularly tourism, we invest a lot of time, effort and money into our seafronts – and it is fantastic to have this work recognised with Blue Flag and Seaside Awards in this way.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “Visitors to 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 Blue Flag is the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas and, to qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.”
