National campaign group Keep Britain Tidy has this week announced Berrow beach is to get a coveted ‘Seaside Award’, but Burnham-On-Sea beach has missed out again this year.
Keep Britain Tidy awards its prestigious Seaside Awards to the best beaches around the UK – and Berrow has won for several years.
But because Burnham-On-Sea has a ‘poor’ bathing water quality classification from the EU, the town has been told it cannot win one of the awards. A project is underway to clean up Burnham beach and improve the sea water quality in the wake of the more stringent new EU regulations coming into force three years ago.
The Friends of Burnham Beach and Litter Free Coast and Sea Somerset have been carrying out beach cleans to reduce marine litter and improve the bathing water quality.
Claire Faun, spokeswoman for Sedgemoor District Council, which runs both beaches, told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Berrow joins the country’s very best beaches, from popular holiday spots to quiet, more hidden-away spots. What unites them all is knowing that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.”
“Berrow Beach can provide a wonderful day out for the family. It is an exceptional beach with sand dunes, picnic areas, and both lifeguards and beach wardens providing safety cover and advice.”
Keep Britain Tidy says 190 awards have been given to England’s very best beaches, including 65 international Blue Flags and 125 Seaside Awards – eight more than last year – with 42 beaches achieving both awards. See the full list.
