A total of 11 beaches in the North West have been praised for their cleanliness and quality – and 10 of them are in Lancashire.

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2023. 

Across the North West, which includes Cheshire, Cumbria, Greater Manchester, Lancashire and Merseyside, 11 beaches and one marina have been presented with awards recognising the quality of the sites, the way they are managed and the facilities they offer to visitors. 

In Lancashire, 10 beaches were awarded the Seaside Award. They are: 

  • Morecambe North
  • Morecambe South
  • St Annes Pier 
  • Ferry Beach, Fleetwood  
  • Marine Beach, Fleetwood 
  • Jubilee Beach, Cleveleys 
  • Rossall Beach
  • Bispham 
  • Blackpool Central 
  • Blackpool South  

Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, 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, in order 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 excellent water quality 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