22 May 2013 Last updated at 05:29 ET <\/p>\n
More than 50 English beaches have met tough new EU standards to receive Blue Flag awards, recognising their high standards and water quality. <\/p>\n
Thanet in Kent won eight awards, while the Isle of Wight, Bournemouth and Poole in Dorset, and Torbay in Devon each received four awards. <\/p>\n
Campaign group Keep Britain Tidy runs the awards scheme in England. <\/p>\n
The 55-beach total is down from 79 in 2012, but this year beaches were subject to much tougher standards. <\/p>\n
They had to meet the new \"excellent\" standard required under the new EU Bathing Waters Directive. <\/p>\n
Beaches also had to advise users where they could obtain real-time information on discharges from nearby combined sewage overflows if it could temporarily affect the quality of bathing water. <\/p>\n
Other well-known beaches awarded Blue Flags this year included Central Beach in Skegness, Lincolnshire; Lowestoft South Claremont in Suffolk; Martello Bay at Clacton-on-Sea in Essex; and Whitby in North Yorkshire. <\/p>\n
Westward Ho! beach in North Devon was awarded a Blue Flag for the 10th year in a row. <\/p>\n
A further 133 beaches in England were rated clean enough to be awarded Seaside Awards - formerly known as Quality Coast Awards - by Keep Britain Tidy. <\/p>\n
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