Surfers sound alert over sewage spills at Blue Flag beaches

MORE than a quarter of Britain's beaches should be stripped of their Blue Flag status because of pollution concerns, campaigners said yesterday.

Investigations are under way after the Surfers Against Sewage organisation published research showing that 34 beaches around the country, including four in the Yorkshire region, were not meeting safety requirements.

According to Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) these beaches are unable to warn the public about sewage overflows discharges into the sea in "real-time", meaning they cannot let people know if sewage is entering the sea while it is happening.

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The Blue Flag programme is an internationally recognised indicator of water and beach cleanliness and the ability to give real-time warnings on pollution is one of the criteria involved in it being awarded.

Britain has 131 beaches which have passed strict tests to fly the flag but using the Freedom of Information Act, SAS found local authorities responsible for 20 Blue Flag beaches in England, two in Scotland, nine in Wales and three in Northern Ireland did not request real-time information on combined sewage overflow (CSO) discharge.

Among the beaches in England named are Cleethorpes Central, Filey, North Bay at Scarborough and Whitby West Cliff.

SAS campaign director Andy Cummins said: "This disturbing revelation questions the integrity of the Blue Flag Programme.

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"At 34 beaches around the UK the Blue Flag can be flying and people could be in the sea bathing in sewage-polluted waters without warning.

"To ensure the Blue Flag isn't devalued SAS is urging the governing body to lower these 34 Blue Flags until they meet all the imperative criteria."

The Blue Flag programme is a worldwide initiative run by independent non-profit group the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE).

A spokesman for Keep Britain Tidy, which runs the scheme in England on behalf of the foundation, said: "At Blue Flag beaches water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency during the bathing season and beach managers are required to display the results on the beach signage so the public can see them and make informed decisions about whether to enter the water.

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"We cannot be present on every award-holding beach every day, and therefore if evidence is presented to us that calls into question that the high standards required are not being met, then we will investigate and take the appropriate action – even if that means withdrawing Blue Flag.

"Since the awards for 2010 were announced in May we have reminded the beach managers of the Blue Flag criteria and their obligations to take the Blue Flag down when their beach is not meeting all the criteria."

A spokesman for the Welsh Blue Flag co-ordinator, Keep Wales Tidy, said: "When there is a pollution incident local authorities take immediate action to let us and the public know.

"We insist that water quality is posted on the beaches and Blue Flag beaches have a beach warden."