2020 England Blue Flag Beach Awards
It’s that time of the year when the Blue Flag beaches are announced. 2020 has seen 74 English beaches get the Blue Flag Award which is 3 up on last year.
PLEASE NOTE – Due to the Corona Virus pandemic there is a possibility that not all facilities will be in place at these locations during the 2020 bathing season.
Just click on a title to go to our beach information pages.
England Blue Flag Awards
East Midlands Blue Flags
3 winners
East of England Blue Flags
14 Winners
- Sheringham
- West Runton
- East Runton
- Cromer
- Mundesley
- Sea Palling
- Felixstowe South
- Dovercourt Bay
- Albion beach,Walton-on-the-Naze
- Brightlingsea
- East Beach, Shoeburyness
- Shoebury Common
- Thorpe Bay
- Three Shells, Southend
North East Blue Flags
6 Winners
North West Blue Flags
No Winners
Yorkshire Blue Flags
3 Winners
South East Blue Flags
15 Winners
- Minster Leas
- Sheerness
- Leysdown
- Tankerton, Whitstable
- Minnis Bay, Margate
- West Bay, Margate
- St Mildreds, Margate
- Westbrook Bay
- Margate Bay Beach, Margate
- Stone Bay, Broadstairs
- Marina, St Leonards
- Brighton Central
- Hove Lawns (see Brighton beach above)
- West Wittering Beach
- Beachlands, Hayling Island
South West Blue Flags
32 Winners
- Southbourne, Bournemouth
- Fisherman’s Walk, Bournemouth
- Manor Steps, Bournemouth
- Durley Chine, Bournemouth
- Alum Chine, Bournemouth
- Branksome Chine, Poole
- Canford Cliffs, Poole
- Shore Road, Poole
- Sandbanks Peninsular, Poole
- Swanage Central
- Weymouth Central
- Sidmouth Town
- Sandy Bay, Exmouth
- Exmouth East
- Dawlish Warren
- Teignmouth Town
- Oddicombe Beach, Torquay
- Broadsands, Torbay
- Breakwater Beach, Brixham
- Blackpool Sands, Dartmouth
- Challaborough Bay, Bigbury
- Gyllyngvase, Falmouth
- Porthmeor, St Ives
- Carbis Bay, St Ives
- Portreath
- Porthtowan
- Great Western Beach, Newquay
- Trevone Bay, Padstow
- Polzeath
- Widemouth Bay, Bude
- Crooklets
- Westward Ho!
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 the 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.