Felixstowe beach only one in Suffolk to be awarded Blue Flag
It was among 15 winners in the East of England.
Today, environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy is announcing the winners of prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for 2021.
The East of England secured 15 winners in total with one in Suffolk and six in Norfolk. Felixstowe South beach and pier was among the winners in our region.
And the good news is that every single one of them is on the ‘green list’, proving that you don’t need to jet off to Europe or even further afield to visit some of the best beaches in the world – they’re right here on our doorstep.
This year, England can boast 76 Blue Flag beaches, more than Brazil, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Israel, Malta, Mexico or South Africa.
In addition, 132 beaches that have received a Seaside Award and, for the first time in England, a Blue Flag marina – Royal Albert Dock and Salthouse Dock Marina in Liverpool.
The international Blue Flag and the UK Seaside Awards are the quality marks for our beaches and mean those visiting them can be sure that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said:
“This year, more than ever, we are going to be relying on our country’s beautiful beaches to escape for a much-needed break after all the stresses and strains of the past year.
“Last year, due to the pandemic, we did not have the opportunity to celebrate all the great award-winning beaches around the coast so this year we are delighted to have even more winners than we did in 2019, thanks to the incredible work of the teams around the country that make our beaches clean and safe for us all to enjoy.
“From environmental education for the community and ensuring responsible beach use, to cleaning regimes and an increasing number of recycling facilities, it is a full-time commitment to create beaches worthy of these awards.
“As we all plan our 2021 holidays much closer to home, thanks to the Blue Flag and Seaside Award those choosing to holiday in Yorkshire near one of its award-winning beaches can be assured it will be clean and safe and meet the highest standards for water quality and management.”
A full list of the award-winning beaches is available here