Three North Tyneside beaches receive the ‘prestigious’ Blue Flag award

Tynemouth Longsands, King Edwards Bay and Whitley Bay all received the prestigious award on Tuesday, May 16, from the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

It means that the three beaches are among 77 across the country to have met the high standard required for the Blue Flag international award.

The awards are designed to recognise the quality of the beaches, the way they are managed and the facilities that they offer to visitors.

According to Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, the awards are “the world’s most recognised” and for beaches to receive them, they must “meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria”.

The criteria that the beaches are assessed against include:

• Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary.
• Environmental information, including displaying details about local ecosystems.
• Water quality – Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive.
• Environmental management, including litter and waste.

Keep Britain Tidy’s website says the awards “are the only way for the public to be assured that beaches are delivering a safe, clean and well-managed space for them”.

It adds that the “natural environment and water quality may vary, particularly after heavy rainfall”.

The two other North East beaches to receive the Blue Flag award were Roker and Seaburn in Sunderland. Sandhaven Beach in South Shields was given a Seaside Award.

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