Sidmouth Town Beach has received national recognition and a prestigious Seaside Award for the quality of its bathing water.

Beaches across East Devon, including Exmouth, Budleigh, Sidmouth and Seaton, have ranked among England's best beaches in the prestigious Blue Flag and Seaside Awards for 2019.

This year environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy presented 208 awards to England's very best beaches, including 71 international Blue Flags and 137 Seaside Awards, with 52 beaches achieving both awards.

Keep Britain Tidy recognises and rewards beaches in England that achieve the highest standards of beach management and, in the case of bathing beaches, meet the required standards for water quality.

East Devon's beaches join the country's very best beaches, from popular holiday spots to quiet, more hidden-away spots.

What unites them all is knowing that they are clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as the tough international bathing water quality standards.

The awards were as follows:

- Budleigh: Seaside Award (non bathing)

- Seaton: Seaside Award (non bathing)

Commenting on the awards, councillor Geoff Jung, East Devon's portfolio holder for the environment said: "The Blue Flag Awards for our beaches in East Devon demonstrates that East Devon District Council through their team of officers and staff have worked tremendously hard to gain the awards.

"The Blue Flag awards assess the beach and its surroundings for safety, services, environmental education and management, plus being litter free. At our bathing beaches it is judged on the water quality as well.

"On behalf of our residents and our many visitors to our beaches I would like to congratulate our hard working team for the work that they have done."

Nick Christo, East Devon's StreetScene area manager, said: "We are absolutely delighted to have achieved Blue Flag status for Exmouth and Seaside Awards at three of our other beaches. We have been working towards this for four years.

"The award signals to everyone what we believed already; we have fantastic beaches that everyone enjoys using. If you haven't visited yet, please do come and have a look."

Keep Britain Tidy's chief executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: "The success of the 156 beaches in reaching the very high standards demanded by both awards is testament to all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve our beaches – from beach managers and volunteers to local people and businesses.

"When you enjoy a trip to a beach flying an international Blue Flag or Seaside Award, you know you are on one of the safest, cleanest and very best in the country."

Image courtesy of Noel Jenkins.