Exmouth and Seaton fly the 2018 Seaside flag for East Devon

Two of East Devon District Council’s beaches – Exmouth and Seaton – are among this year’s 125 nationwide winners of a prestigious Seaside Award – 50 of those being in the South West.

The Seaside Awards 2018, which is run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, celebrates the quality and diversity of England’s coastline and the scheme is the national standard for the best beaches across the UK.

The Seaside Award flag is a symbol of quality that offers reassurance to visitors, who know they are guaranteed to find a clean, safe, attractive and well-managed piece of coastline.

Exmouth and Seaton join the country’s very best beaches, from popular holiday spots to quiet, more hidden-away spots. What unites them all is knowing that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.

Cllr Tom Wright, East Devon’s portfolio hold for the Environment, said: “We’re delighted to have won this coveted award – it’s the first time East Devon has achieved Seaside Award status. The standard set by Keep Britain Tidy for these awards is incredibly high – among other things the beaches must be clean and the bathing water quality must be sufficient. In this case I am pleased to say that our bathing water quality achieved an excellent rating from Defra.

"The award for Exmouth and Seaton beaches will help ensure that visitors know they are enjoying the best of our wonderful coastline. I would personally like to thank everyone involved in maintaining the superb quality of our beaches. We will fly the Seaside Award flag with great pride!”