Thanet’s beaches amongst the best in the UK

The Isle of Thanet in Kent has received more Blue Flag awards for its beautiful beaches than anywhere else in the country. Receiving 10 Blue Flags in this year’s ENCAMs / Keep Britain Tidy awards the Kent region has achieved the best performance in the UK for the last decade – and now boasts an 1/8 of all Blue Flag rated beaches in Britain.

The 10 beaches basking in Blue Flag glory are Ramsgate Main Sands, Walpole Bay near Margate, Botany Bay and Stone Bay in Broadstairs, Margate Main Sands, Minnis Bay in Birchington, St. Mildred’s Bay and West Bay in Westgate and Westbrook Bay – while Joss Bay near Broadstairs, regarded as one of the south east of England’s finest surfing beaches, achieves the accolade for the first time.

It’s the best performance by any one area in the country since the year 2000 and is a great accolade for Thanet’s tourist resorts which have seen their number of Blue Flags steadily increase over recent years.

Cllr. Roger Latchford, Cabinet Member for Culture and Economy, said: “Our beaches are one of our area’s greatest assets, offering everything from quiet bays to busy family beaches and areas perfect for watersports, like surfing. They help to bring literally millions of visitors into Thanet, with our latest figures showing we’re attracting nearly three million people each year. The latest announcement of another record breaking set of Blue Flag awards confirms our position as home to some of the UK’s best beaches.”