Hastings celebrates Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for Marina and Pelham beaches

For the first time ever, Hastings has been awarded combined Blue Flag and Seaside Award status for both its Marina and Pelham beaches, marking a major milestone in the town’s ongoing efforts to improve and maintain the quality of its coastline.

The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are presented by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognising the very best beaches in England.

Cllr Julia Hilton, Deputy Leader, and lead for Tourism at Hastings Borough Council, said: 

“We are delighted that Pelham has joined Marina beach in receiving both the Blue Flag and Seaside Award for the first time. Hastings Borough Council is proud of the quality of the beaches we have in our town. We work hard alongside fantastic volunteers to keep our beaches clean and maintain the water quality, so it is great to see this work being recognised.

“Maintaining our award status is a great achievement, especially given the strict criteria and the ongoing challenges we have faced with Southern Water. One of the key Blue Flag requirements is excellent bathing water quality. This includes having sampling points in the areas on our bathing beaches most used, as well as near potential pollution sources on these beaches, such as streams, rivers, or stormwater outlets, to ensure these do not affect water quality. Samples must be taken regularly at these bathing beaches and tested for both microbiological and physical-chemical parameters. You can check up-to-date bathing water quality ratings for Marina and Pelham beaches as well as others across England at: https://www.gov.uk/quality-of-local-bathing-water.

“You can all do your bit to help keep our seafront tidy by putting your rubbish into bins or taking it home with you. If the bins are full, please report these on My Hastings so our waste teams can empty them.

“I also want to remind everyone to check the RNLI website for safety advice before they visit the beach, so you can help keep yourself and others safe. Please also make sure you are following the advice from the on-duty lifeguards, a seasonal service operates between May and late September at both bathing beaches.”

Full details of the criteria beaches must meet to receive the Blue Flag and Seaside awards are on the Keep Britain Tidy website. These include more information on the strict water quality standards, which are measured independently at our bathing water beaches, Marina and Pelham. 

For more information on beaches in Hastings.