The North East's Best Beaches Revealed!

Put the wedding planning on hold for a day and enjoy the (almost pleasant!) weather with a day at a North East beach. But which one is the best to visit…?

Never fear - Keep Britain Tidy has announced six Blue Flags and eight Seaside Awards in the North East.

Now six beaches across the North East will be able to fly a Blue Flag – an international award that tells the public it's one of the best beaches in the world. Awarded beaches include Tynemouth Longsands, King Edwards Bay, Sandhaven Beach and Whitley Bay, so those visiting them can be sure of a clean, safe beach with great facilities and water quality.

What's more, eight beaches in the region have also received the Seaside Award – Keep Britain Tidy's own award for the beaches that meet the very highest standards for cleanliness and facilities.

The news comes as research* from Keep Britain Tidy reveals that over a quarter (27%) of children have never been swimming in the sea in this country. Surprisingly, one third (33%) have never been on holiday to the coast and nearly one in five (18%) have never even set foot on a British beach.

Four in five (82%) parents admit that they have decided against taking their children to the British coast. Other than the typical British weather, the cleanliness of the beach is the number one cause for concern – with 40% worrying about unclean water, 38% put off by litter and two in five (42%) saying they're put off by dog mess.

As a result, nearly half (47%) would leave immediately if they saw litter and dog mess on a beach, while 40% wouldn't let their children play there. More than a quarter (29%) would even warn others not to visit.

However, two thirds of parents say that knowing a beach has been awarded Blue Flag or Seaside Award status gives them confidence that a beach is a clean, safe place for their children to play, with 15% saying they will only go to an award-winning beach.

And the beaches are…
Blue Flag Awards
Tynemouth Longsands
King Edwards Bay
Whitley Bay
Sandhaven Beach
Roker
Seaburn

Seaside Awards
Tynemouth Longsands
King Edwards Bay
Whitley Bay
Cullercoats
Sandhaven Beach
Seaton
Roker
Seaburn

To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy visit www.keepbritaintidy.org

IMAGE COURTESY OF THE ROKER HOTEL