Out of England’s 141 award winning beaches, Torbay proudly tops the list of most Seaside Awards received with a total of ten!

Today, Keep Britain Tidy has announced the winners of the 2015 Blue Flag and Seaside Awards. Among the 141 beaches across England receiving an award 61 beaches gained the Blue Flag and 111 picked up the Seaside Awards, 31 achieved both.

The ten beaches in Torbay that have won the prestigious Seaside Awards are Breakwater, Broadsands, Goodrington, Paignton, Preston, Torre Abbey, Meadfoot, Anstey’s Cove, Oddicombe and Maidencombe. Of these Breakwater, Meadfoot and Oddicombe have also won blue flag awards.

These awards confirm that the water quality at all award winning beaches meets the required European Standards, and the water quality at the Blue Flag beaches exceeds these standards.

Torbay Mayor Gordon Oliver said: “I am delighted that Torbay has once again exceeded expectations on a national level. To win as many as ten Seaside Awards and topping the list is excellent news and gives visitors and residents confidence in our safe and enjoyable beaches that have good standards of management, cleanliness and safety.”

Keep Britain Tidy’s Coastal Award manager Paul Todd said: “It is great to be able to celebrate another fantastic year for the Blue Flag and Seaside Awards.

"As an environmental charity, Keep Britain Tidy is committed to improving the quality of the places where people live, work and holiday and these winners have proved their commitment to providing the best possible beaches for locals and visitors alike.

"The public can be sure, if they visit a Blue Flag or Seaside Award winning beach, that they are visiting one of the best beaches in the world.”

The Seaside Awards are an annual UK award run by Keep Britain Tidy and means that these sites have met the criteria for bathing water quality, public amenities as well as meeting a strict environmental standard in cleanliness.