Blyth South Beach gains Blue Flag Award
15 May 2025
As international Blue Flag award reaches its 38th year, Blyth South Beach is among this year’s winners.
Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has today announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2025.
The awards are primarily aimed at urban beaches and seaside resorts and a key part of the eligibility is the provision of lifeguards during busy holiday periods.
Paul Jones, Director of Environment and Transport with Northumberland County Council, said: “This is another great award for this stretch of our coastline.
“Blyth South Beach is already one of our 13 beaches that are classified as Designated Bathing Waters in recognition of their use by bathers and water sports enthusiasts and with excellent water quality.
“With free parking, play facilities, a promenade and dune walks, toilets, lifeguards during busy periods and a range of cafe and hospitality venues it's no surprise that it has now also been awarded Blue Flag status - putting it amongst the best seaside resort beaches in the UK.”
Newly elected Mayor of Blyth Town Council Cllr David Swinhoe said: “I’m absolutely delighted of the great news that Blyth South Beach has been awarded the Blue Flag — a real mark of quality and something we can all be proud of.
“This award means our beach is clean, safe, and well looked after — one of the best in the country. Huge thanks to Northumberland County Council for leading the bid and to everyone at Blyth Town Council who backed it all the way.
“It’s a fantastic result for Blyth, and I know it’ll bring even more people to enjoy what we’ve known all along — that our beach is something special. Well done to all involved!”
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 beaches like South Beach in Blyth, 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..”
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: