THREE beaches which are nearest to Worcester have been named among some of the dirtiest in the UK.
Many people living in landlocked Worcester like to travel to Weston-super-Mare for a day out at the beach.
However, three of the seaside town's beaches have scored the lowest possible ‘poor’ rating from the Environment Agency’s water quality tests.
Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset have been handed a Brown Flag Award 2024.
Though the Environment Agency's data is used to compile the list, it is not involved in the awards.
Holiday Park Guru created the Brown Flag Awards by spending hours analysing official Environment Agency water quality data to select the ‘winners’.
The beaches have been rated 'poor' by the Environment Agency because of their levels of bacteria such as e-coli from sewage and other waste.
Other ‘winners’ include beaches in Cornwall, Hampshire and Somerset.
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Some of the worst water cleanliness readings were found at beaches at popular resorts including Blackpool, Weston Super Mare and Bognor Regis.
It does not necessarily mean the whole beach is 'poor' for bathing - it can be just one section of the beach.
Readings were taken in the warmer months as the sea is less likely to be clean in winter because it rains more and leads to more unpleasant stuff overflowing into rivers and into the sea.
The beaches which ranked top for clean water were in Dorset, where almost 90 per cent of its beaches achieved the highest score possible for water cleanliness. Devon, Suffolk and Cornwall also rank highly.
The Brown Flag Award winners 2024
- Porthluney in Cornwall
- Southsea East in Hampshire
- Saint Mary’s Bay in Kent
- Littlestone in Kent
- Blackpool North in Lancashire
- St Annes North in Lancashire
- Heacham in Norfolk
- Weston Main, Weston Super Mare Sand Bay and Weston Super Mare Uphill Slipway in Somerset
- Dunster Beach in Somerset
- Bognor Regis, Aldwick in Sussex
- Tynemouth Cullercoats in Tyne and Wear
- Scarborough South Bay in North Yorkshire
- Bridlington South Beach in East Riding of Yorkshire
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