The beach at St. Anne’s Pier has been awarded the prestigious international Seaside Flag award, which is managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education
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.
‘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 North West beaches given awards:
- Morecambe North – Lancaster City Council
- Morecambe South – Lancaster City Council
- St Anne’s Pier – Fylde Borough Council
- Ferry Beach, Fleetwood – Wyre Borough Council
- Marine Beach, Fleetwood – Wyre Borough Council
- Jubilee Beach, Cleveleys – Wyre Borough Council
- Rossall Beach – Wyre Borough Council
- Bispham – Blackpool Council
- Blackpool North – Blackpool Council
- Blackpool Central – Blackpool Council
- Blackpool South – Blackpool Council
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting the country’s best beaches.
Among the criteria beaches are assessed against are:
- Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary
- Environmental information, including displaying details about local eco systems
- Water quality – Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive and Seaside Award winners must meet the ‘sufficient’ standard.
- Environmental management, including litter and waste.
These awards are the only way for the public to be assured that beaches are delivering a safe, clean and well-managed space for them to enjoy but our coast is a natural environment and water quality may vary, particularly after heavy rainfall when the advice from the World Health Organisation is to refrain from entering the water for 24 hours.
Water quality testing is carried out in England by the Environmental Agency during the bathing season from May to September. However, before heading down to the beach, the public is advised to check the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website = go to https://environment.data.gov.uk/bwq/profiles/ – to check for any pollution risks as a result of rainfall, wind or high tides.
