Beaches in Blackpool and across the Fylde coast given Blue Flag Awards
It's for reaching specific standards on water quality, safety and services
Beaches in Blackpool and across the Fylde coast have been given prestigious Blue Flag Awards today, prompting a thank you to volunteers for their tireless work.
The beaches in the resort and at Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Rossall and St Annes, have all been handed the awards, which are organised on an annual basis by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
Jubilee beach in Cleveleys, Marine beach and Ferry beach in Fleetwood and Rossall beach were found to have met the high standards required to be presented with a Seaside Award for 2025.
They were joined by St Annes beach and those across Blackpool.
The awards have been granted to Wyre’s beaches in successive years recently, although in June 2023 a ban on accessing the waters off Blackpool, Fylde and Wyre was implemented by the Environment Agency after sewage washed into the sea after a burst pipe became overwhelmed by heavy rain. The ban was lifted after 17 days.
At Blackpool, Coun Jane Hugo, Cabinet Member for Climate Change, said:
“This is great news. Local residents and visitors enjoy our beaches all year round, so it’s fantastic to see that the care and work undertaken to keep our beaches clean to such high standards rewarded.
“A massive thanks to everyone who has played their part from council teams including our Enveco NW environmental and waste management company to the many individual volunteers and businesses who litter pick, and to every person that does the right thing and puts their litter in the bin.”
Councillor Roger Berry, Wyre’s Deputy Leader and Neighbourhood Services and Community Safety Portfolio Holder at Wyre Council said of the latest awards:
“Receiving the Seaside Awards for 2025 at four of our beaches is a tremendous honour.
“It is a testament to our community’s dedication to maintaining clean, safe, and beautiful beaches. Our flags will be flying proudly this summer so residents and visitors alike can be assured our beaches meet the highest standards.
“We are proud of the collaborative efforts that have made this achievement possible. The commitment needed to maintain our award-winning beaches cannot be underestimated. A heartfelt thank you to all the volunteers, our staff, the local beach care groups and partners whose hard work and passion have been instrumental in achieving this success and keeping our coastline clean and safe.”
And at Fylde, Councillor Jayne Nixon, Lead Member for Tourism, Leisure and Culture, commented:
“We’re thrilled that St Annes Beach has once again earned the Seaside Award, recognising our high standards of cleanliness, safety and visitor facilities.
“This achievement reflects the hard work of our dedicated team and confirms St Annes as one of England’s premier coastal destinations. We look forward to welcoming visitors to enjoy our award-winning beach throughout the summer season.”
Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said:
“In England we are lucky enough to have some of the best beaches in the world. It’s wonderful to see the flags flying proudly over four beaches in Wyre demonstrating their quality to residents and visitors alike.
“The awards are a credit to the collective efforts of beach and site managers, volunteers, residents and businesses who should take pride today in their tireless efforts to maintain, protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular blue spaces.”
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
Environmental management, including litter and waste.
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.