Sussex Beaches Win Big In Annual Awards

Several Sussex beaches have won awards in the annual Blue Flag and Seaside Awards handed out by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.

The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards recognise and celebrate coastal destinations that have achieved the highest quality in water, facilities, safety, environmental education and management.

In Hastings, Marina and Pelham beaches have both won accolades; Marina has been awarded the combined Blue Flag and Seaside Award, and Pelham has received the Seaside Award.

Aaron Woods, Coastal and Commercial Services Manager, said:

“Retaining our award status is a fantastic achievement given the strict awards criteria, and the issues we have had with Southern Water. Thank you to the teams, including volunteers, who work hard to maintain the beaches so they are places for residents and visitors to enjoy. With the weather starting to improve, we ask that you help keep the beaches clean and tidy by putting your rubbish into bins or taking it home with you. If the bins are full, please report these on My Hastings so our waste teams can empty them."

In Brighton & Hove, two of the city’s popular beaches will be flying prestigious Blue Flags this summer.

Hove Lawns and Saltdean have both been awarded Blue Flags and Brighton Central picked up the prestigious Seaside Award.

“It’s great that our beaches have been recognised as among the best in the UK and it’s particularly rewarding to see Saltdean flying a Blue Flag again this summer,” said Councillor Alan Robins, chair of the Culture, Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Economic Development Committee.

“The awards are a fitting tribute to the hard work of our dedicated seafront officers, lifeguards, beach cleaning teams and volunteer groups.

“We are proud to have fully funded our council lifeguard service this year, which is one of the largest independent beach lifeguard services in the UK, and to have improved public toilet provision on the seafront.

“We will continue to work hard to ensure our beaches are clean and safe for the thousands of visitors who arrive each summer to enjoy our lovely city by the sea.”

Littlehampton’s Coastguards Beach and Bognor Regis’ East Beach have retained their Seaside Awards – an accolade given for the quality of the coastal area, not the water quality, which is the responsibility of Southern Water.

Arun District Council, the authority responsible for the day-to-day running of the beaches, has welcomed the good news.

Praising the dedication of everyone involved in maintaining the beaches, Councillor Sue Wallsgrove, Chair of the Environment Committee at Arun District Council, said:

“It’s fantastic news that these two Arun beaches have again been recognised in the Seaside Awards. The flag is a symbol of quality that reassures visitors that they are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive and well-managed coastal area with good facilities.

“I’d like to thank everyone involved in maintaining our beaches to such a high standard, including our beach patrol and other council teams who work tirelessly to keep our seafront operating smoothly. I’d also like to say a massive thank you to our wonderful volunteers and residents who give up their spare time to help keep our seafronts clean with litter picks and other events.\

“Winning this award proves that we are ‘doing our bit’ as a local authority to keep our beaches in great condition. We will continue to work with Southern Water to tackle issues with bathing water quality and pollution and keep up the pressure to see improvements.”

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.

“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.”