Latest news with #BrownFlagAwards
Time Out
18-05-2025
- Time Out
It's official: 6 of the UK's dirtiest beaches for water quality are near London
Within London 's city limits there are plenty of excellent places to go for an alfresco swim. While we wouldn't dream of even dipping our toes in the Thames (though there are plans to make the river swimmable by 2034), London has more than its fair share of lidos and outdoor pools – and you can find Time Out's guide to the best ones here. If you're up for leaving London's boundaries, there are even more opportunities for outdoor swimming, from rivers, lakes and pools to beaches. Next time you're choosing where to head off for a swim, however, here's something to bear in mind. A recent study has just revealed England's worst beaches for water quality right now, and several are near London. The report was by Holiday Park Guru, and it made use of Environment Agency data to hand out 'Brown Flag Awards'. The full study featured 19 stretches of coast up and down the nation, all of which were deemed particularly contaminated with faecal matter from things like sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. The water quality readings were taken last year between May and September. Of those 19 'Brown Flag' beaches, six were near London. We're defining 'close' to the capital as in a Home County or within a couple of hours' travel by car or train. Kent had three beaches named among the UK's filthiest, with Deal Castle, Dymchurch and Littlestone featuring, while Sussex 's Aldwich and Worthing beaches were included. The final near-London beach to be named and shamed was at Southsea in Hampshire. It's worth noting that the 'Brown Flag' rating doesn't necessarily mean the whole beach is poor quality for swimming or bathing. It can refer to just one section of a beach. On the bright side, several counties and places close to London were also commended for the cleanliness of their beaches. Hampshire and the Isle of Wight were named England's joint sixth-best places for coastal water quality, with 73 percent of beaches rated 'excellent'. The UK's dirtiest beaches near London Southsea Beach, Hampshire Deal Castle Beach, Kent Dymchurch Beach, Kent Littlestone Beach, Kent Aldwich Beach, Sussex Worthing Beach, Sussex Find the .
The Independent
13-05-2025
- The Independent
Revealed: England's worst beaches for water quality
The dirtiest beaches in England have been revealed based on water quality, including coastal spots in some of the country's most popular holiday hotspots such as Cornwall and Devon. The UK's Environment Agency tests England 's bathing waters every year by taking samples in the summer to build up an assessment of the water quality, providing them with a classification from 'excellent' to 'poor'. The classifications are based on the analysis of samples taken over a four-year period. The Environment Agency tests the samples for bacteria to indicate if there is faecal matter in the water, which could come from sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. If bathing water is classified as poor, then a sign advising against bathing will be displayed, yet the beach will remain open for people to use at their leisure. In the 2024 study of all 455 bathing waters across England, 37 were classed as poor, and out of that group 19 were beaches. Among those on the list were Porthluney in Cornwall, Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset and Bunster Beach in Somerset. Further up north, Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear, Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire and Blackpool North in Lancashire landed in the 'poor' category. Holiday Park Guru completed a further analysis of the Environment Agency's data, what they call its 'Brown Flag Awards' for 2025, and found that Lancashire actually ranks last as a county, since none of its bathing spots are yet to gain an 'excellent' rating. Meanwhile, more than 90 per cent of Northumberland's beaches achieved the highest category for water cleanliness. Despite having beaches on the poor quality list, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall are highly rated, too. However, Somerset, Cumbria, Merseyside and Kent are all counties that have less than desirable water quality at their bathing spots. The publication also found that the Isle of Wight, County Durham, Lincolnshire and Suffolk saw all of their designated bathing areas gaining one of the top two ratings ('good' or 'excellent'). The Environment Agency has made its data public so bathers can make informed choices about where to relax and swim, as well as see what beaches are doing to improve their water quality. As bathing spots are ever-changing, water pollution can be temporarily reduced, as rainfall, tides, weather and the season can all impact its quality. England's beaches with a 'poor' water quality rating in 2024 Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent Dymchurch in Kent Littlestone in Kent Blackpool North in Lancashire St Annes North in Lancashire Heacham in Norfolk Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset Dunster Beach in Somerset Blue Anchor West in Somerset Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire
Daily Mirror
12-05-2025
- Daily Mirror
UK beach once loved by Brits shamed with unwanted Brown Flag Award
Despite being surrounded by a lush 140-acre woodland and 'striking' castle, this secluded stretch of golden sands has been named and shamed due to its 'poor' water quality A 'beautiful' beach with sugar-like sand has slowly witnessed its reputation sink into the gutter. Tucked away on the south Cornish coast, with a 'striking backdrop' of the 200-year-old Caerhays Castle and its 140 acres of woodland gardens, lies the secluded family beach of Porthluney. South-facing for maximum sunlight, the tiny cove - which is privately owned - has long been popular with Brits. On Trip Advisor, the beach has a slew of five-star reviews, with many describing the area as 'lovely' and 'picturesque'. However, most praise for the beach appears to be written several years ago, including one traveller who posted back in 2023: "I have visited this beach twice: once when the tide was right out and again when it was in. It is what beaches should all be about - with little rock pools and beautiful sand. Plus, very much a bonus, there's a lovely cafe selling delicious food nearby." Others dubbed the beach a 'beautiful' spot that is perfect for a day of family fun. Even Visit Cornwall, the area's official tourist board, states on its website: "There's plenty of room for beach games and exploring the rocks on the west side at low tide. The beach is excellent for swimming." However, Porthluney has recently been named and shamed, after winning an unwanted ' Brown Flag Award ' for the second consecutive year. UK travel firm granted the beach the tongue-in-cheek gong as part of its 'top of the plops' guide. The company analysed official data from the Environment Agency to figure out which beaches had the worst water quality. While not endorsed by any government body, the 'awards' shed light on some of the UK's grubbiest seas. The firm has even offered to send Porthluney a 'tasteful' brown flag with a poo emoji to 'warn swimmers'. "Some of the worst water cleanliness readings were found at beaches at popular resorts including Blackpool, Weston Super Mare, and Bognor Regis," explained "This doesn't necessarily mean the whole beach is 'poor' for bathing - it is sometimes just one section of beach. "The water quality readings are based on readings taken in the warmer months (i.e. May 15th to September 30th). The sea is less likely to be clean in winter, as it rains more which leads to more unpleasant stuff overflowing into rivers and into the sea." The Brown Flag Awards - full list of winners Winners of the Brown Flag had to score the lowest possible 'poor' rating from the Environment Agency's water quality tests. This may be due to levels of bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste. In alphabetical order by county, the winners are: Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon (Poocomer for 2025) Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset (Poocomer for 2025) Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent (Poocomer for 2025) Dymchurch in Kent (Poocomer for 2025) Littlestone in Kent Blackpool North in Lancashire St Annes North in Lancashire Heacham in Norfolk Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay, and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset Dunster Beach in Somerset Blue Anchor West in Somerset (Poocomer for 2025) Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex (Poocomer for 2025) Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear (Poocomer for 2025) Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire
The Independent
09-05-2025
- The Independent
The beaches with the worst water quality in England revealed
The dirtiest beaches in England have been revealed based on water quality, including coastal spots in some of the country's most popular holiday hotspots such as Cornwall and Devon. The UK's Environment Agency tests England 's bathing waters every year by taking samples in the summer to build up an assessment of the water quality, providing them with a classification from 'excellent' to 'poor'. The classifications are based on the analysis of samples taken over a four-year period. The Environment Agency tests the samples for bacteria to indicate if there is faecal matter in the water, which could come from sewage, livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage. If bathing water is classified as poor, then a sign advising against bathing will be displayed, yet the beach will remain open for people to use at their leisure. In the 2024 study of all 455 bathing waters across England, 37 were classed as poor, and out of that group 19 were beaches. Among those on the list were Porthluney in Cornwall, Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset and Bunster Beach in Somerset. Further up north, Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear, Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire and Blackpool North in Lancashire landed in the 'poor' category. Holiday Park Guru completed a further analysis of the Environment Agency's data, what they call its 'Brown Flag Awards' for 2025, and found that Lancashire actually ranks last as a county, since none of its bathing spots are yet to gain an 'excellent' rating. Meanwhile, more than 90 per cent of Northumberland's beaches achieved the highest category for water cleanliness. Despite having beaches on the poor quality list, Dorset, Devon, and Cornwall are highly rated, too. However, Somerset, Cumbria, Merseyside and Kent are all counties that have less than desirable water quality at their bathing spots. The publication also found that the Isle of Wight, County Durham, Lincolnshire and Suffolk saw all of their designated bathing areas gaining one of the top two ratings ('good' or 'excellent'). The Environment Agency has made its data public so bathers can make informed choices about where to relax and swim, as well as see what beaches are doing to improve their water quality. As bathing spots are ever-changing, water pollution can be temporarily reduced, as rainfall, tides, weather and the season can all impact its quality. England's beaches with a 'poor' water quality rating in 2024 Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent Dymchurch in Kent Littlestone in Kent Blackpool North in Lancashire St Annes North in Lancashire Heacham in Norfolk Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset Dunster Beach in Somerset Blue Anchor West in Somerset Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire
Daily Mirror
07-05-2025
- General
- Daily Mirror
Dream beach huts become nightmares as locals 'trapped' on toxic coast
The frustrated owners have branded the council as 'greedy' after finding themselves stuck in a 'vicious circle' of paying high rents or give up the plot Furious beach hut owners on one of Britain's most toxic coastlines feel 'trapped' and unable to sell because of soaring fees. In Heacham, Norfolk, hut owners have been hit with ground rent charges that have skyrocketed from £200 to £730 in just three years. The disgruntled owners are calling the council 'greedy', finding themselves caught in a 'vicious circle' of either coughing up hefty rents or surrendering their plots. Their vibrant chalets have become almost unsellable, with new buyers expected to shell out a whopping £2k transfer fee. Adding insult to injury, pollution issues in the Victorian seaside village have led the Environment Agency to label the water quality as 'poor'. Heacham recently featured among a handful of other beaches that were dubbed Britain's dirtiest and given a Brown Flag award. Holiday Park Guru unveiled its second annual Brown Flag Awards last week. Using official Environment Agency water quality data to select the 'winners', the firm has sent out tasteful brown flags to the worst beaches, so they can warn swimmers of the nastiness lurking just beneath the surface. Warning signs dot the beach at Heachham, advising against swimming due to elevated levels of bacteria and other pollutants. Gary Hall, who has frequented his family's hut in Heacham since the 1980s, lamented: "It has taken away the community there and the companionship built up over the years. "They have destroyed something special through their greed. People I have spoken to have said they would not touch them with a barge pole because of the high costs," he added. Pam Slote, a retiree from Wisbech, expressed her frustration: "We feel incandescent and very cross." Beach hut plots are being relinquished back to the council as owners struggle to afford them or find a buyer. David French, 78, is contemplating giving up his hut, remarking: "They are killing the goose that laid the golden egg." A spokesperson for West Norfolk Council said: "While it is important to note that these are the conditions that all parties signed up to, we acknowledge that during the 10-year period of the leases, changing market circumstances mean that some of these conditions may not be as suitable as they were when agreed in 2016. We are sympathetic to the position of the owners and intend to address these issues during renewal discussions, in time for the leases to be renewed early next year." Brown Flag Award winners (In alphabetical order, with new entrants flagged 'poocomers') Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon (Poocomer for 2025) Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset (Poocomer for 2025) Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent (Poocomer for 2025) Dymchurch in Kent (Poocomer for 2025) Littlestone in Kent Blackpool North in Lancashire St Annes North in Lancashire Heacham in Norfolk Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset Dunster Beach in Somerset Blue Anchor West in Somerset (Poocomer for 2025) Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex (Poocomer for 2025) Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear (Poocomer for 2025) Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire
