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2017 England Blue Flag Beach Awards

It’s that time of the year when the Blue Flag beaches are announced. 2017 has seen 68 English beaches get the Blue Flag Award which is the same as last year, whilst we have an increase of 6 to 117, that received the Seaside Award, while 35 beaches have achieved both awards.

Cornwall claims the most awards with a total of 20 awards (7 Blue Flags and 13 Seaside Awards), Torbay Council which won 13 awards (3 Blue Flag and 10 Seaside Awards) and Thanet District Council and Southend-on-Sea Borough Council which both received 10 awards (6 Blue Flag and 4 Seaside Awards for Thanet, 3 Blue Flag and 7 Seaside Awards for Southend).

Just click on a title to go to our beach information pages.

England Blue Flag Awards

East Midlands Blue Flags

4 winners

East of England Blue Flags

12 Winners

North East Blue Flags

6 Winners

North West Blue Flags

2 Winners

Yorkshire Blue Flags

4 Winners

South East Blue Flags

14 Winners

South West Blue Flags

26 Winners

England Seaside AwardsSEASIDE AWARDS

This year 111 beaches have been presented with a Seaside Award

East Midlands

4 Winners

    • Cleethorpes North Promenade
    • Cleethorpes Central
    • Cleethorpes Humberston Fitties
  • Cleethorpes Marine Embankment

East of England

18 Winners

    • Hunstanton Main
    • Wells-next-the-Sea
    • Bell Wharf Beach, Leigh on Sea
    • Chalkwell Beach, Southend on Sea
    • Jubilee Beach, Southend on Sea
    • Thorpe Bay Beach, Southend on Sea
    • Three Shells Beach, Southend on Sea
    • Shoebury Common Beach, Southend on Sea
    • East Beach, Shoeburyness
    • Brightlingsea
    • Dovercourt Bay
    • Clacton on Sea (Martello Tower)
    • Frinton on Sea
    • Albion Beach, Walton on the Naze
    • Walton The Naze
    • Harwich
    • Kessingland
  • Lowestoft South of Claremont Pier

North East

8 Winners

    • Tynemouth Longsands
    • King Edwards Bay
    • Whitley Bay
    • Cullercoats
    • Sandhaven Beach
    • Seaton Carew Central
    • Roker
  • Seaburn

Yorkshire

13 Winners

    • Bridlington North
    • Bridlington South
    • Wilsthorpe
    • Fraisthorpe
    • Danes Dyke
    • South Landing
    • Filey
    • Runswick Bay
    • Cayton Bay
    • Sandsend
    • Robin Hoods Bay
    • Scarborough North Bay
  • Whitby

North West

11 Winners

    • Morecambe North
    • Morecambe South
    • St Annes Pier
    • Ferry Beach
    • Marine Beach
    • Jubilee Beach, Cleveleys
    • Rossall Beach
    • Bispham
    • Blackpool North
    • Blackpool South
  • Blackpool Central

South East

22 Winners

    • Worthing
    • Bognor Regis East
    • Littlehampton Coastguards (East Beach)
    • Saltdean
    • Reculver
    • Herne Bay
    • Tankerton
    • Marina, St Leonards on Sea
    • Pelham Beach
    • Sandgate Beach
    • Leysdown Beach
    • Minster Leas
    • Sheerness Beach
    • Margate Main Sands
    • Ramsgate Main Sands
    • Westbrook Bay
    • Viking Bay, Broadstairs
    • Sandown
    • Shanklin
    • Seagrove
    • Springvale
  • West Wittering

South West

38 Winners

  • Bournemouth Pier
  • Boscombe Pier
  • Avon Beach, Christchurch
  • Friars Cliff Beach, Christchurch
  • Highcliffe Beach, Christchurch
  • Combe Martin Beach
  • Gyllyngvase
  • Great Western
  • Perranporth
  • Polzeath
  • Porth
  • Porthtowan
  • Porthmeor
  • Porthminster
  • Sennan Cove
  • Trevone Bay
  • Widemouth Bay
  • Crooklets
  • Summerleaze
  • Challaborough Bay
  • Croyde Bay
  • Berrow
  • Coryton Cove
  • Dawlish Town
  • Teignmouth Town
  • Ness Cove
  • Sandy Bay
  • Swanage Central
  • Breakwater Beach, Torbay
  • Broadsands Beach, Torbay
  • Meadfoot Beach, Torbay
  • Oddicombe Beach, Torbay
  • Maidencombe Beach, Torbay
  • Goodrington Beach, Torbay
  • Paignton Beach, Torbay
  • Preston Sands, Torbay
  • Torre Abbey Sands, Torbay
  • Ansteys Cove, Torbay
  • Westward Ho!
  • Weymouth Central

Blue Flag is a mark of a quality beach

The Blue Flag beach award is widely recognised as an indication for a good quality beach and has moved on a lot since it started in France in 1985. Most people think a Blue Flag indicates a clean and safe water but although it does, it actually measures a beach against a lot more criteria:

  • Environmental Education and Information. This includes displaying details on the Blue Flag award along with details on the water quality, a beach map including locations of facilities.
  • Water Quality. This is about the water being safe to swim in and water samples are taken at regular points during the bathing season and the year gets an overall grade. Each of our beach pages gives a summary of the current water quality.
  • Environmental Management. This category is about managing the beach and keeping it clean along with facilities like toilets being available to the public.
  • Safety and Services. This is a big one for families with children as a beach should be patrolled by lifeguards. Other criteria include availability of drinking water and accessibility features.

Not having a Blue Flag does not mean a beach should be avoided as the tough criteria described above is only really suited to large seaside resorts and smaller villages and remote bays can’t offer the same level of management. This means they just don’t participate in the scheme and local countries have their own awards to recognise some of these other beaches.

The blue flag certification process is carried out every year by local quality organisations and for our beaches in the UK the annual results are announced at the end of May or beginning of June.

For more information and details of the assessment criteria visit the Blue Flag Award website.

For a full list of blue flag beaches see our list at: UK Blue Flag Beaches.

2017 Ireland Blue Flag Beach Awards

2017 Scotland Seaside Awards