Latest news with #BrownFlags
The Irish Sun
07-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Britain's ‘worst' beaches to visit this summer with surprising golden-sand hotspot top of the list
THE UK's "worst" beaches to visit this summer have been revealed with one surprising hotspot ranking top of the list. As Brits make the most of the warming weather, the Environment Agency has put together a list of the 19 most filthy 4 The 19 filthiest beaches have been revealed using water quality data Credit: Alamy 4 East Cliff beach in Lyme Regis makes a surprising appearance on the list Credit: Alamy These were measured using the agency's It was revealed that the number of " Brown Flags are a "poor" rating by the EA and are usually caused by the amount of sewage in the water. Cullercoats, a sandy beach in Tyne and Wear, received a poor rating from the EA despite having recently gained a glowing review by a travel magazine. Read more on News Tourists heading to Littlehaven, South Shields have also received a similar warning, telling them to avoid the water where possible. The news comes ahead of what could be a scorching summer, when families will flock to their local beach for children to play in the sea. The worst counties for these beaches are Somerset and Kent, so families may want to stay wary of where they plan a seaside trip. Water companies are permitted to occasionally discharge excess wastewater into the sea during heavy rainfall. Most read in The Sun However, according to industry regulator Ofwat, some firms have been "routinely releasing sewage" outside these times. This exercise - known as dry spilling - has caused a spike in water toxicity and closure of dozens of beaches. Thousands flock to UK beaches and parks to bask in 26C highs ahead of bank holiday weekend scorcher But those in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall also scored well when it came to cleanliness although each of the counties is also home to a Brown Flag beach. Lincolnshire and Hampshire also scored well for water cleanliness. analysed the data from the Environment Agency. England's filthiest beaches, revealed: MANY popular beaches appeared on the Brown Flag list. 1 Porthluney, Cornwall 2 Coastguards Beach, Devon 3 Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach, Dorset 4 Southsea East, Hampshire 5 Deal Castle, Kent 6 Dymchurch, Kent 7 Littlestone, Kent 8 Blackpool North, Lancashire 9 St Annes North, Lancashire 10 Heacham, Norfolk 11 Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway, Somerset 12 Dunster Beach, Somerset 13 Blue Anchor West, Somerset 14 Bognor Regis, Sussex 15 Worthing Beach House, Sussex 16 Tynemouth Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear 17 Littlehaven Beach, Tyne and Wear 18 Scarborough South Bay, North Yorkshire 19 Bridlington South Beach, East Riding of Yorkshire Spokesperson Robbie Lane told the "We had hoped that we'd be handing out fewer Brown Flags this year - but the numbers have surged. "Do your research this summer and you'll be saying 'wish you were here' rather than 'wish I'd worn a hazmat suit'." Three stretches of Blackpool North was the worst offender, returning 4.85/10 for overall water cleanliness, making in In June 2023, Blackpool North - which sits in front of Blackpool Tower - was It was among four Blackpool beaches which advised people not to swim All of Blackpool's beaches were found to have a 10/10 pollution risk by DEFRA. 4 Porthluney, Cornwall is an unlikely feature on the list Credit: Alamy 4 The beach in Weston Super Mare, Somerset also received a poor rating Credit: Alamy
Daily Mail
04-05-2025
- Daily Mail
The UK's 'worst' beaches revealed - with waters so gross swimmers will 'wish they'd worn a hazmat suit'
The UK's 'worst' beaches have been revealed, as the bacteria from gushing sewage leads swimmers to say 'I wish I'd worn a hazmat suit'. Brown Flag awards were announced this week in England which sees the iconic sites rated by water cleanliness. Among the offending destinations are Bognor Regis, Aldwick and Blackpool North - all rated 'poor' by the Environment Agency due to summer water quality. A further look at the 19 grubby 'winners' for 2025 indicates a poor showing for Lancashire, which came bottom of the league table as none of its beaches were graded 'excellent' for water cleanliness. Meanwhile, Northumberland, Dorset and Devon's beaches were rated 'excellent' for water cleanliness. The number of brown flag beaches - those rated 'poor' due to bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste - leapt up from 13 in 2024 to 19 in 2025. Campaigner and swimmer Robbie Lane from Holiday Park Guru said: 'We had hoped that we'd be handing out fewer Brown Flags this year – but things have gone down the pan. 'Do your research this summer and you'll be saying "wish you were here" rather than "wish I'd worn a hazmat suit".' So, does your local beach make the infamous list? Brown Flag Awards Winners 2025 In alphabetical order by county: Porthluney in Cornwall Coastguards Beach, Erme Estuary in Devon (Newcomer for 2025) Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach in Dorset (Newcomer for 2025) Southsea East in Hampshire Deal Castle in Kent (Newcomer for 2025) Dymchurch in Kent (Newcomer 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 (Newcomer for 2025) Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex Worthing Beach House in Sussex (Newcomer for 2025) Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear Littlehaven Beach in Tyne and Wear (Newcomer for 2025) Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire 'Newcomers' refer to either newly designated bathing spots with a poor rating or existing bathing spots that have been downgraded. Large resorts have several beaches and testing points meaning it may just be one section of the beach that is designated 'poor'. Holiday Park Guru used Environment Agency data based on around 7000 samples at more than 400 bathing waters, 'calculated annually based on samples from the previous four years'. Rivers and lakes are excluded from the sample. Water quality readings look for intestinal enterococci and escherichia coli (e-coli) levels to determine whether there is 'faecal matter' in the water. According to the Environment Agency, this comes from 'sewage, agricultural livestock, wildlife, birds and road drainage'. Each resort receives a score of either three stars (excellent), two stars (good), one star (sufficient) or zero stars (poor). Currently, 67 per cent of England's monitored resorts score a three star rating whilst five per cent score zero stars. The latter is an increase on last year. Water quality readings are only taken from May 15 - September 30. During the winter, water quality tends to be lower along England's coastline as higher rainfall causes more sewage and waste water to overflow into the sea and rivers.
The Irish Sun
02-05-2025
- The Irish Sun
Map reveals UK's filthiest beaches where YOUR kids will play this summer with waste-ridden waters & grim sewage levels
THE UK'S dirtiest beaches have been revealed with parents warned to be aware when letting their kids play in the sea this summer. The 19 most filthy seaside spots were measured using the Environmental Agency's water quality data and marked on a map. Advertisement 4 The 19 filthiest beaches have been revealed using water quality data Credit: Alamy 4 All of Blackpool's beaches were found to have a 10/10 pollution risk last year Credit: Alamy It emerged that the number of "Brown Flag Beaches" has soared by 46 per cent this year. Brown Flags are a "poor" rating by the EA and are usually caused by the amount of sewage in the water. The news comes ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, when families will flock to their local beach for children to play in the sea. Sunseekers have spent the last few days in rivers and beaches to cool off from the Advertisement The worst counties for these beaches are Somerset and Kent, so families may want to stay wary of where they plan a seaside trip. But those in Dorset, Devon and Cornwall also scored well when it came to cleanliness although each of the counties is also home to a Brown Flag beach. Lincolnshire and Hampshire also scored well for water cleanliness. Advertisement Most read in The Sun analysed the data from the Environmental Agency. Spokesperson Robbie Lane told the "We had hoped that we'd handing out fewer Brown Flags this year - but the numbers have surged. "Do your research this summer and you'll be saying 'wish you were here' rather than 'wish I'd worn a hazmat suit'." Advertisement Three stretches of Blackpool North was the worst offender, returning 4.85/10 for overall water cleanliness, making in All of Blackpool's beaches were found to have a 10/10 pollution risk by DEFRA. Advertisement Read more on the Irish Sun In June 2023, Blackpool North - which sits in front of Blackpool Tower - was It was among four Blackpool beaches which advised people not to swim 4 Lyme Regis in Devon was ranked on the list of dirty beaches Credit: Getty 4 The beach in Weston Super Mare, Somerset was also named and shamed Credit: Alamy Advertisement England's filthiest beaches, revealed: MANY popular beaches appeared on the Brown Flag list. 1 Porthluney, Cornwall 2 Coastguards Beach, Devon 3 Lyme Regis Church Cliff Beach, Dorset 4 Southsea East, Hampshire 5 Deal Castle, Kent 6 Dymchurch, Kent 7 Littlestone, Kent 8 Blackpool North, Lancashire 9 St Annes North, Lancashire 10 Heacham, Norfolk 11 Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway, Somerset 12 Dunster Beach, Somerset 13 Blue Anchor West, Somerset 14 Bognor Regis, Sussex 15 Worthing Beach House, Sussex 16 Tynemouth Cullercoats, Tyne and Wear 17 Littlehaven Beach, Tyne and Wear 18 Scarborough South Bay, North Yorkshire 19 Bridlington South Beach, East Riding of Yorkshire
The Sun
02-05-2025
- The Sun
Map reveals UK's filthiest beaches where YOUR kids will play this summer with waste-ridden waters & grim sewage levels
THE UK'S dirtiest beaches have been revealed with parents warned to be aware when letting their kids play in the sea this summer. The 19 most filthy seaside spots were measured using the Environmental Agency 's water quality data and marked on a map. 4 It emerged that the number of "Brown Flag Beaches" has soared by 46 per cent this year. Brown Flags are a "poor" rating by the EA and are usually caused by the amount of sewage in the water. The news comes ahead of the Bank Holiday weekend, when families will flock to their local beach for children to play in the sea. Sunseekers have spent the last few days in rivers and beaches to cool off from the recent spell of scorching weather. The worst counties for these beaches are Somerset and Kent, so families may want to stay wary of where they plan a seaside trip. But those in Northumberland can rest easy, as over 90 per cent of its beaches were given the highest possible score. Dorset, Devon and Cornwall also scored well when it came to cleanliness although each of the counties is also home to a Brown Flag beach. Lincolnshire and Hampshire also scored well for water cleanliness. analysed the data from the Environmental Agency. Spokesperson Robbie Lane told the Mail: "I would like to extend my sympathies to beaches in Worthing, Lyme Regis and the other newcomers who have given Brown Flag Awards for the first time. "We had hoped that we'd handing out fewer Brown Flags this year - but the numbers have surged. "Do your research this summer and you'll be saying 'wish you were here' rather than 'wish I'd worn a hazmat suit'." Last year, a study of 400 beaches looked at the amounts of sewage, faecal matter and counts in the water. Three stretches of Blackpool Beach, which welcomes 18 million visitors a year, made the top ten of the filth table. Blackpool North was the worst offender, returning 4.85/10 for overall water cleanliness, making in Britain's second dirtiest beach. All of Blackpool's beaches were found to have a 10/10 pollution risk by DEFRA. In June 2023, Blackpool North - which sits in front of Blackpool Tower - was closed due to sewage in the water, with members of the public told to stay clear. It was among four Blackpool beaches which advised people not to swim due to sewage in 2023. 4
Daily Mail
01-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Britain's dirtiest beaches revealed - with a surprising UK county receiving the most Brown Flags for 2025
With the weather heating up and the bank holiday on the horizon, many Brits will be planning a trip to seaside. But while a day at the beach might sound appealing, there are a few spots you'll want to leave off your hitlist. England's 19 dirtiest beaches have been named and shamed at the second annual 'Brown Flag Awards'. The team at looked at the Environmental Agency's summertime water quality data to determine which beaches have failed to make the cleanliness grade. Brown Flag beaches are those that are rated 'poor' by the Environment Agency due to the amount of bacteria in the water caused by sewage and waste. Sadly, the number of Brown Flag beaches in England has soared from 13 in 2024 to 19 in 2025, an increase of 46 per cent. Somerset and Kent have the highest number of Brown Flag beaches, with each county having three beaches on the list. At the other end of the scale, Northumberland officially has the country's cleanest beaches. More than 90 per cent of the county's beaches achieved the highest possible score for water cleanliness. Dorset, Devon and Cornwall also scored well when it came to cleanliness although each of the counties is also home to a Brown Flag beach. Lincolnshire and Hampshire are the next cleanest counties. And only St Mary's Bay in Kent had managed to clean up its act since the last Brown Flag Awards and is no longer on the concern list. has said it will be handing out free brown flags, each emblazoned with the poo emoji, to the counties with dirty beaches. Robbie Lane, a keen sea-swimmer who works at says: 'I would like to extend my sympathies to beaches in Worthing, Lyme Regis and the other newcomers who have given Brown Flag Awards for the first time. 'Commiserations also to Weston Super Mare, Blackpool and other resorts that have retained their "awards", like a stubborn barnacle clinging onto a sewer pipe. 'We had hoped that we'd handing out fewer Brown Flags this year - but the numbers have surged. 'Several of the newcomers are newly designated swimming spots whilst others have gone down the pan since last year. 'The good news is that two-thirds of beaches in England are rated as "excellent" for their water quality. 'Do your research this summer and you'll be saying "wish you were here" rather than "wish I'd worn a hazmat suit". 'Let's give a shout out to St Mary's Bay in Kent, which is the only beach in the whole country that managed to wipe away its Brown Flag!'
