Two of the town’s beaches have been named as some of the best in the country.

Keep Britain Tidy (KBT) has given its prestigious Blue Flag Awards to beaches at the Marina in St Leonards and Pelham Beach won a KBT ‘seaside award’. They are two of just 15 beaches in the South East to have won the accolades.

Councillor Peter Chowney, leader of Hastings Borough Council said, “I’m very pleased that we have been awarded Blue Flag status for St Leonards Beach for the second year, and that we’ve again achieved an ‘excellent’ rating for bathing water quality here. But Blue Flag is about more than water quality, it’s about other facilities too, so it’s good that St Leonards as an up-and-coming tourist destination is being recognised in this way.

“At Pelham beach we’re pleased that the innovative works along the Alexandra Park stream have led to an improvement in water quality that’s been sustained. But we’ve also improved what’s on offer for children at the beach, with new children’s play sessions based in the former lifeguard station. So there’s more to do here now, and more fun for everyone.”

The Keep Britain Tidy organisation which makes the awards says new research shows that two thirds of parents are given the confidence that a beach is a clean, safe place for their children, thanks to its awards.

Keep Britain Tidy chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said:“Keep Britain Tidy leads the fight for clean, plastic-free beaches. We are committed to creating a great environment on our doorstep for everyone to enjoy and offering a quality mark that shows everyone just how fantastic our beaches can be. Blue Flag and Seaside Awards set the standard for our beaches.”

A total of 190 beaches around the country have been recognised by KBT this year, 65 have won blue flags the remainder have won the Seaside Award Ms Ogden-Newton says: “It’s brilliant to see so many beaches winning Blue Flag and Seaside Award status this year, thanks to dedication and hard work of beach staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards.”

This year, with 98.3 per cent of bathing waters reaching safe standards and 92 per cent achieving ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ water quality standards, we look forward to even more beaches applying for our awards next year.