Beach visitors have spoken out in support of Burnham-On-Sea beach after a national survey ranked it among the ten worst beaches in the UK.
Consumer group Which? has published the findings of a survey that has put Burnham-On-Sea on a list of the UK’s lowest-rated 10 beaches.
Which? says it assessed a range of factors including the beach itself, value for money, facilities and peacefulness. Its results are based on an online survey of 3,700 members of its consumer panel.
Burnham has scored three out of five stars for its beach, one star for attractions, three stars for scenery, three stars for peace and quiet, and two stars for value for money. Weston scores low as well and is only ranked three places above Burnham overall.
But residents and visitors reacted with surprise to the survey when Burnham-On-Sea.com spoke to beach users over the weekend to get their thoughts.
Cheryl Heritage, pictured with her family above, said: “We love Burnham beach – we have come here many, many times over the years. The kids can safely enjoy the beach, and we love that there are lots of shops and places to eat nearby plus facilities like toilets. We give it the thumbs up and don’t understand the survey results.”
Taunton couple Mr and Mrs Lovell, pictured below, added: “We’ve been coming to Burnham beach for over 30 years and love it when the weather’s good. It feels safe with the lifeguards in place. It’s not a swimming beach with blue sea but it’s still a lovely quiet beach. The kids have a great time and there are plenty of places to eat and drink nearby.”
Christian McCarthy from Wales says: “The survey is puzzling – Burnham beach is a great place to come to. It has all the facilities you want really close by – cafes, shops, pubs, toilets. It’s our first visit of this year and we love that it’s easy to travel to with lovely sandy beaches.”
Local beach walker Sarah Smith said: “The sample size for the survey sounds far too small to accurately rank beaches all round the country. Burnham beach has it own unique advantages with a world famous lighthouse, the second longest stretch of sand in Europe and while we could have more tourist attractions, I think part of Burnham’s charm is keeping its own identity and protecting it from modernisation. Maybe the survey will put off crowds of people visiting us during this summer, making Burnham quieter than bigger resorts, which in turn could be an advantage during these Covid-19 times!”
Ieuan Cornish, pictured above enjoying the sunshine at the weekend, added: “Burnham’s beach is a wonderful place to visit – we regularly use it with friends in the good weather.”
“There are plenty of facilities, such as good shops, cafes and takeaways, nearby. You won’t find a better seven-mile sandy beach like this anywhere in the UK.”
