27/05/2026
Sandown beach in Sandown to proudly fly Seaside Award this summer
As international Blue Flag award reaches its 39th year, the area’s best beaches are celebrating
Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy has today announced the winners of the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for summer 2026, and among them are one of the beaches in Sandown
This year the beach to have met the high standard required to be presented with a Seaside Award is Sandown Beach.
Mayor Alex Lightfoot said “I’m delighted that Sandown has once again been recognised with the Seaside Award. Our beach is at the heart of our town, and this award shows the care, effort and community spirit that go into keeping it a place residents can be proud of and visitors love to return to”.
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE, said: “England is fortunate to boast some of the world’s finest beaches, and it’s encouraging to see this reflected in the award to Sandown signalling its high standards to all who visit or live nearby.
“Everybody involved in these achievements should feel proud of their ongoing work to care for and enhance these important local blue spaces.”
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are designed to raise standards across England’s coastline and inland waters, while shining a spotlight on the country’s top beaches. These awards are the only way for the public to be assured that beaches are delivering a safe, clean and well-managed space for them to enjoy.
Blue Flag is an environmental education programme managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education.
Among the criteria beaches are assessed against are:
Safety and services such as first aid, and lifeguards where necessary
Environmental information, including displaying details about local ecosystems
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 (designated bathing waters) winners must meet, as a minimum, the ‘sufficient’ standard.
Notes to Editors
Keep Britain Tidy is a leading environmental charity. We set the standard for the management of parks and beaches, inspire people to be litter-free, to waste less and live more sustainably. We run campaigns and programmes including the Great British Spring Clean, Eco-Schools, Love Parks Week, Buy Nothing New Month, Eco-Schools, the Green Flag Award for parks and green spaces, the Blue Flag/ Seaside Awards for beaches and blue spaces, and the Green Key for sustainable tourism and hospitality. To find out more about Keep Britain Tidy, our campaigns and programmes visit www.keepbritaintidy.org.
This year 41 sites, including one inland water, were awarded both the Blue Flag and Seaside Award, while 23 sites, including one marina, received the Blue Flag only and 65 beaches received the Seaside Award only. The full list can be accessed on this page: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/professional-services/blue-flag-award-beaches-and-marinas
Testing of bathing waters is carried out by the Environment Agency during the bathing season from May to September. The current classification and in season test results are available at the Environment Agency’s Swimfo website.
Our coast is a natural environment and water quality may vary, particularly after heavy rainfall when the advice from the World Health Organisation is to refrain from entering the water for at least 24 hours.
*An asterisk means the beach is NOT a designated bathing water – it is a non-bathing beach.
Press enquiries
Contact the Keep Britain Tidy press office:
[email protected]
Keep Britain Tidy mobile: 07768 880016
