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Seaside Award for Beaches

The Blue Flag and Seaside Award 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 Award is 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 2024, 137 beaches across England were 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

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The Blue Flag, Combined Award and Seaside Award application window is open from 26 November 2024 and will close at midday on Tuesday 14 January 2025.   

Beach Management Organisations seeking a Blue Flag, Combined Award, or Seaside Award should apply online:
https://www.surveyhero.com/c/BFSA2025BSApplications

If you have any questions and queries about applying for a beach accolade please email the Accreditations Team: theseasideawards@keepbritaintidy.org

If you are a Marina Operator looking to apply for Blue Flag, please contact the Accreditations Team: marinaawards@keepbritaintidy.org

Please include your name, job title, your organisation, and the name of the marina in your email.

Award Criteria

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Seaside Award Criteria (England) 

Information 

  • Information about the Seaside Award must be displayed at the beach  
  • Information about bathing water quality must be provided at the beach for members of the public
  • At non-bathing beaches it should be made clear to the public that it is not a designated bathing water.
  • 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 
  • The quality of a designated bathing water must be classified by Environment Agency as “Sufficient"
  • 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 must comply with all regulations affecting the location and operation of the beach 
  • The beach must be clean and surrounding areas well maintained
  • 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 
  • 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 
  • 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 must have an up-to-date risk assessment, and any recommendations should be implemented

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