North Wales no longer has a single beach with Blue Flag status
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North Wales has lost its only Blue Flag beach and people are being advised not to swim at another nearby in 2025. The Blue Flag accolade is awarded annually to bathing beaches that meet certain criteria such as water quality, safety and site management.
Last year, Prestatyn Central in Denbighshire was the region's only beach to display a Blue Flag, highlighting its 'exceptional' qualities. It was among 24 Blue Flag beaches in Wales, with all the others south of Borth, Ceredigion.
But there was disappointing news for the resort's residents and visitors with the release of this year's Wales Coast Awards 2025, organised by Keep Wales Tidy. Despite its popularity with watersports enthusiasts, the status of Prestatyn Central has been downgraded.
Instead, the four-mile beach has been handed a yellow and blue flag marking it out as the winner of a Seaside Award. Bestowed on beaches that are clean, attractive and well-managed, this accolade highlights good rather than exceptional standards.
Also collecting a Seaside Award was nearby Rhyl East beach, another long and beautifully sandy beach. However Rhyl Central beach, winner of the same award in 2024, was not listed this time.
Last year, Rhyl Central's water quality was downgraded from 'sufficient' to 'poor' – the legacy of some disappointing sampling results in 2021. It was the only North Wales beach that failed to reach the minimum water quality standards.
This means Denbighshire Council is obliged to warn people not to bathe there until water quality improves. The local authority expects this will happen in 2026. Join the North Wales Live Whatsapp community now
(Image: Ian Cooper/North Wales Live)
As recently as 2021 there were 17 beaches in North Wales with Blue Flag status. Numbers nosedived the following year, leaving Prestatyn Central as the region's sole flag bearer. This was despite 30 glorious beaches in Gwynedd, Anglesey and Conwy that could potentially qualify for the award.
In 2022, a new rule was introduced by Keep Wales Tidy requiring local councils to employ external risk assessors rather than carrying out in-house assessments. Given the extra cost and red tape involved, local authorities in northwest Wales dropped out of the scheme.
Only Denbighshire Council persisted, and by December 2024 it was already aware it would be losing its last Blue Flag beach. In a 2024 report, the local authority said: 'Unfortunately, following some elevated sample results this season, Prestatyn has dropped a classification and will now be classified as a 'good' bathing water.
'As the Blue Flag status requires 'excellent' water quality as one of the criteria, Prestatyn will not retain its Blue Flag in 2025.' Sign up for the North Wales Live newsletter sent twice daily to your inbox
Efforts will be renewed to return Prestatyn Central to Blue Flag status and the council believes Prestatyn's Barkby Beach could one day join it. However the prospects for Rhyl's beaches look bleaker.
A report to Denbighshire Council's Partnerships Scrutiny Committee said: 'It will be difficult for Rhyl to ever achieve Blue Flag status, given the proximity of the River Clwyd and its estuary, which is the main issue in terms of bathing water quality.
'Sewerage outfalls are one of two major factors that can impact on water quality. The Clwyd Valley is also farmed intensively, and livestock access to streams can be a significant source of bacteria which impacts on water quality.
'The bigger issue for Rhyl is not the inability to achieve Blue Flag status, it is that Rhyl Central will now be classified as a 'poor' bathing water for 2025 following a number of elevated sample results this season. This means that people must be advised not to bathe in that area until the classification returns to 'sufficient'."
The issues affecting Rhyl Central beach are not as prevalent for Rhyl East, which is further away from the River Clwyd and its estuary. Stretching from the resort's lifeboat station towards Splash Point, Rhyl East has retained its 'good' water quality status – one reason why it has again been awarded a Seaside Award this year.
A huge amount of work has been undertaken already to reduce the polluting effects of the River Clwyd. In 2023/24, eight separate projects were completed to help restrict livestock access, including more than 5,000 metres of fencing and 27 new water troughs for cattle.
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