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The Seaside Awards
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting England’s best beaches. Blue Flag is an international award presented to well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes. Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England and celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Seaside Award celebrates the quality and diversity of England’s coastline.
Formerly called the Quality Coast Award, the scheme is the nationwide standard for the best beaches across the UK. While Seaside Award beaches can be vastly different, the flag is a symbol of quality which ensures visitors are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive, and well-managed coastal stretch. In 2022 there were 128 beaches across England awarded with the Seaside Award.
At a time when more and more people are choosing to holiday at home, the Seaside Award is vital in ensuring visitors know they are enjoying the best of our delight and dramatic coastline. The Seaside Award is specially designed to recognise all the different uses of our coastline.
The nationally-recognised award drives interest and attention to the area from the public and media alike. It has also been designed to equip beach managers with a three-year action plan aimed at helping them maintain and improve the infrastructure at their beach, as well as equipping them to generate further funds.
Applications
Applications for the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards 2023 bathing season are now closed.
Applications for the 2024 bathing season will open in November 2023.
Existing award winners can apply for future year's awards by logging into the application portal here.
New applicants must request a username and login for the application portal, by emailing theseasideawards@keepbritaintidy.org with your name, job title, organisation and the names of the beaches that you wish to apply for.
Award Criteria
Seaside Award Criteria (England)
Information
- Information about the Seaside Award must be displayed at the beach
- If applicable, information about bathing water quality must be displayed
- A map of the beach indicating different facilities must be displayed
- A code of conduct, that reflects appropriate laws governing the use of the beach and surrounding areas, should be displayed.
Water Quality
- The beach must fully comply with the water quality sampling and frequency requirements
- The beach must fully comply with the standards and requirements for water quality analysis
- No industrial, waste-water or sewage-related discharges should affect the beach area
- At designated bathing waters from 2016 the water quality should be graded as ‘sufficient’ as set out in the Bathing Water Directive. (In 2015, bathing beaches should of mandatory standard.)
- At non-bathing beaches, there should be no promotion of water-based activities such as swimming, surfing, etc.
Environmental Management
- The local authority/beach operator should establish a beach management committee
- The local authority/beach operator must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach
- The beach must be clean
- Algae vegetation or natural debris should be left on the beach (exceptions apply)
- Bins must be available at the beach and they must be regularly emptied
- Facilities for the separation of recyclable waste materials should be available at the beach
- If appropriate, toilet facilities should be provided
- If provided, the toilet facilities must be kept clean and have controlled sewage disposal
- There should be no unauthorised camping, driving or dumping of waste on the beach
- At resort-style beaches dogs must be excluded from the award area of the beach during the bathing season
- If a dog ban is not in force during the bathing season, a clear dog control policy must be in place before an award can be made
- All buildings and beach equipment must be properly maintained.
Safety and Services
- If appropriate, an adequate number of lifeguards and/or lifesaving equipment must be available at the beach
- If appropriate first aid equipment must be available on the beach
- Emergency plans to cope with pollution risks must be in place
- The beach should be subject to an up-to-date risk assessment and any recommendations should be acted upon.
