Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2024.
Thanet has been awarded four Blue Flags – two less than last year- and 12 Seaside Awards – and increase of eight on 2023.
Walpole Bay and Louisa Bay have both been awarded Seaside Awards for the first time but Margate Main Sands and Stone Bay in Broadstairs have lost their Blue Flag, instead receiving a Seaside Award
Blue Flags and combined Seaside Awards
Minnis Bay, Birchington;
St. Mildred’s Bay, Westgate-on-Sea;
Botany Bay Broadstairs
Joss Bay in Broadstairs.
Seaside Awards:
West Bay,
Westgate-on-Sea;
Westbrook Bay,
Margate Main Sands
Walpole Bay
Stone Bay,
Viking Bay
Louisa Bay
Ramsgate Main Sands.
Cllr Steve Albon, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Coastal Services, said: “We’re very proud of our four Blue Flags and 12 Seaside Awards. Keeping up the high standards of our beaches requires a good deal of work, not just in the summer months, but all year round.
“Local people, as well as visitors, are drawn to Thanet’s fabulous beaches and they expect our 19 miles of coastline to be well-maintained and safe. We continue to strive to achieve the best possible standards for all our beaches.
“I would like to thank all of the council officers, partners, businesses, volunteers and residents, who work hard at keeping our beaches as clean and enjoyable as possible. These internationally-recognised awards would not be possible without their continued dedication.
“We are proud that whichever part of Thanet’s coastline you choose to visit you can find a well-managed award-winning beach.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “These awards are a credit to the collective efforts of beach managers, volunteers, residents and businesses who have worked tirelessly to maintain, protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular beaches and we’d like to take this moment to recognise and applaud them.
“Visitors to a beach flying a Blue Flag 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.
“Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England and celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.”
Criteria
To be awarded a Blue Flag, beaches must comply with a number of criteria covering environmental education and information, excellent water quality, environmental management, safety and services. For a Seaside Award beaches must achieve the highest standards of management and, in the case of bathing beaches, meet the required standards for water quality.
Bathing Water Quality Legislation
Every year, from May to September, the Environment Agency monitors the water quality of more than 400 beaches throughout the UK.
These beaches, known as ‘designated bathing water’ are those used by a large number of bathers and are required to meet strict European guidelines on water quality.
There are 13 designated bathing waters in the Thanet district.
The way bathing water quality is measured changed in 2015 with the implementation of more stringent new standards.
The Environment Agency now uses four years’ worth of data to assess water quality and classify it as either ‘Excellent’, ‘Good’, ‘Sufficient’ or ‘Poor’. This change is the result of a revision to the EU Bathing Water Directive.
