Five East Riding beaches have been honoured with prestigious Blue Flags or Seaside Awards for 2025.
Hornsea and Withernsea have both been awarded Blue Flag status by environmental organisation Keep Britain Tidy in the internationally recognised scheme.
Seaside Awards have been presented to three other beaches – Bridlington North, South Landing and Wilsthorpe – in the annual programme recognising the UK’s best beaches.
Hornsea has now achieved a Blue Flag for five years running, while Withernsea has earned one for three years in a row.
As part of the awards Hornsea, Withernsea and Wilsthorpe all recorded ‘excellent’ water quality results, with Bridlington North and South Landing recording ‘good’ results.
The council’s coastal services team, which manages the area’s beaches, achieved all five awards it applied for.
Now in their 38th year, Keep Britain Tidy’s annual awards honour the UK beaches which meet high standards in quality, cleanliness, safety, and the range of facilities they have for the public.
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, the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas, is an environmental education programme managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education.
It is only presented to beaches with water which has achieved the highest classification as set by the EU Bathing Water Directive and has an environmental education programme, and, to qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.
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,
- Environmental management, including litter and waste,
- 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.
Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “In England we are lucky enough to have some of the best beaches in the world. It’s wonderful to see the flags flying proudly over these East Riding beaches, demonstrating their quality to residents and visitors alike.
“The awards are a credit to the collective efforts of beach and site managers, volunteers, residents and businesses who should take pride today in their tireless efforts to maintain, protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular blue spaces.
“Visitors to a beach flying a Blue Flag can be assured the beach will be clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards.”
