Sunderland’s Roker and Seaburn beaches honoured with Blue Flags and Seaside Awards for 2023

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for 202, which are presented to clean and well-maintained beaches with high water quality.

Both Roker and Seaburn beaches feature on the list, having met what Sunderland City Council chiefs say are the high standards required.

They are among 77 beaches to win the prestigious Blue Flag Award, and this is the twelfth consecutive year that the beaches have also won a coveted Seaside Award.

John Price, cabinet member for ‘Vibrant City’, said: “I’m delighted to see our city’s beautiful beaches once again recognised with the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards. Flying these flags at Roker and Seaburn shows everyone who visits that our seafront is clean, safe and meets the high standards necessary to be awarded a blue flag.

“We’re lucky in Sunderland to have such fantastic beaches, but this national recognition is testament to the hard work of everyone who works to keep our beaches clean, tidy and well-maintained.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Visitors to a beach flying a Blue Flag or Seaside Award can be assured the beach will be clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as international bathing water quality standards.

“The Blue Flag is the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas and, to qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.

“We’d therefore like to recognise and applaud all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular beaches. The collective efforts of beach managers, volunteers, residents and businesses all contribute to the success of these sites in achieving the incredibly high standards demanded.”

The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting the country’s best beaches.

Blue Flag is an international award managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education. It is only presented to well-managed beaches with water quality defined as ‘excellent’ under the EU Bathing Water Directive and environmental education programmes, while Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England and celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.

Among the criteria beaches are assessed against are:

• Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary
• Environmental information including displaying details about local eco systems
• Water quality – Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive and Seaside Award winners must meet the ‘sufficient’ standard.
• Environmental management, including litter and waste.