A RECORD number of Scottish beaches have gained coveted Blue Flag or Seaside Award status – despite water quality problems caused by Scotland's wettest summer for 30 years.
Six Scottish beaches – one fewer than last year – and one marina have gained a Blue Flag, the international benchmark for water quality and cleanliness, it was announced today.
They have been joined by a record total of 61 beaches – an increase of 11 on last year – in achieving the prestigious Seaside Award.
The achievement was revealed by Keep Scotland Beautiful (KSB), as the official bathing season got under way along Scotland's coastline.
The wettest summer for three decades was blamed last month for a dramatic rise in the number of Scottish beaches that failed the water quality benchmark set by the European Commission.
A total of 18 beaches from the Borders to the Highlands fell short of the minimum legal standard in the annual survey by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS) – almost triple the previous number of failures.
But the Blue Flag and Seaside Award accolades are based on a detailed assessment of the beaches as a whole, including their facilities, safety record, cleanliness and water quality.
John Summers, the chief executive of KSB, welcomed the continued improvement.
He said: "This year, there are more beach award flags flying around the Scottish coast than ever.
"Recognising continually improving standards, beach award schemes are increasingly used by people to help them decide which beach to visit.
"We would like to pay tribute to all the hard work that goes in to achieving these awards by local authorities and communities, and I would again urge beach-goers to visit these sites and to continue playing their part in keeping Scotland's beaches clean and beautiful."
The six beaches awarded the Blue Flag this year are Montrose, in Angus, and five beaches in Fife – Aberdour Silver Sands, Burntisland, Elie Harbour, Leven East and St Andrews West Sands.
Leven has been awarded a Blue Flag for the first time. But dropped from the list are St Andrews East Sands and Broughty Ferry beach, near Dundee, which have instead gained a Seaside Award.
The seventh Blue Flag has been awarded to Kirkcudbright Marina – it is the seventh year in succession it has been recognised. It is one of only 614 marinas in 31 countries in the Northern Hemisphere eligible to fly the Blue Flag, and Councillor Peter Duncan, the chairman of Dumfries and Galloway Council's resources committee, said: "What a magnificent achievement … Kirkcudbright Marina is a jewel in Galloway's crown."
Councillor Brian Goodall, the chairman of Fife Council's housing and communities committee, welcomed the area's continuing top performance. He said: "This is an example of the high standards our beaches can achieve when the community works in partnership with Scottish Water, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency, Keep Scotland Beautiful, community councils, Fife Coast and Countryside Trust, Scottish Natural Heritage and Fife Council.
"Other Fife beaches have been identified as contenders for future Blue Flag awards. We are hoping that this summer the water quality at St Andrews East Sands will be good enough to win back the Blue Flag for next year," Mr Goodall said.
A KSB spokeswoman said: "Although it is disappointing that the Blue Flag will not be awarded to St Andrews East Sands this year, Keep Scotland Beautiful is delighted the beach will continue to be managed under the Seaside Award criteria."
The full article contains 574 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
