Beaches at Burnham-On-Sea and Berrow have today (Tuesday) been awarded sought-after awards by national campaign group Keep Britain Tidy.
The Seaside Awards scheme shines the spotlight on beaches across England that achieve the highest standards of facilities and cleanliness.
Sedgemoor District Council, which oversees two beaches, has welcomed the news and its Chairman, Cllr Peter Downing, will formally receive the award flag during a ceremony being held today on Burnham seafront.
“At a time when more and more people are choosing to holiday at home, the rapid growth of visitors enjoying our delightful and dramatic coastline has highlighted not only the demand but the importance in presenting and retaining clean, attractive and well managed beaches,” council spokeswoman Sam Taylor told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“This award is a symbol of quality which guarantees to visitors that our beaches are among the best in the country.”
Ian Jefferies, Business and Tourism Manager at Burnham Tourist Information Centre, added: “This is fantastic news for our area and Sedgemoor District Council does deserve to be praised for the work it has done on trying to keep our beaches clean. This is great publicity.”
The Seaside Award replaces the Quality Coast Award, which was introduced by Keep Britain Tidy in 2007.
The quality of the beaches has been in the spotlight during the last fortnight due to concerns that tough new EU water quality regulations being introduced in 2015 may not be met.
