Top awards for two of city’s beaches

Beach lovers in Sunderland will be able to run up the flags as two coastal spots were given national awards.

The beaches at Roker and Seaburn have been named as winners of prestigious Blue Flag awards by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

Both beaches have also been recognised with Seaside Awards by the judges.

Blue Flag, beaches must comply with a number of criteria covering environmental education and information, water quality, environmental management, safety and services.

The Seaside Award is run by Keep Britain Tidy and recognises and rewards beaches that achieve the highest standards of beach management and, in the case of bathing beaches, meet the required standards for water quality.

Keep Britain Tidy’s chief executive Allison OgdenNewton, said: “This year, more than ever, we are going to be relying on our country’s beautiful beaches to escape for a much-needed break after all the stresses and strains of the past year. “Last year, due to the pandemic, we did not have the opportunity to celebrate all the great award-winning beaches around the coast so this year we are delighted to have even more winners than we did in 2019, thanks to the incredible work of the teams around the country that make our beaches clean and safe for us all to enjoy.”

The other Blue Flags beaches in the area are Tynemouth Longsands, King Edwards Bay and Whitley Bay, in North Tyneside, and Saltburn by the Sea, in Cleveland.