Why we should lead the way on beaches

None of Scarborough's beaches gained a prestigious Blue Flag, the international award given to those designated as one of the best in the world.
This town was, arguably, the worlds very first seaside resort.This town was, arguably, the worlds very first seaside resort.
This town was, arguably, the worlds very first seaside resort.

However, I note North Bay, along with Cayton Bay, Filey and Runswick Bay did receive a Keep Britain Tidy award. In addition, all credit goes to Whitby for achieving this Blue Flag accolade.

Equally perturbing in the same report from the Keep Britain Tidy group, it stated that whilst 18% of children had never set foot on a British beach and 27% had never swum in the sea in this country, a staggering 38% had never actually been on holiday to the British coast! This report also noted one of the main reasons parents did not visit the British seaside was their concerns over cleanliness and water quality.

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Forgive me for pointing out the obvious but surely, the whole point of being a seaside resort is actually being beside the sea.

The failure to garner a Blue Flag award coupled with the statistics detailed above really do not bode well for this town’s future as a first choice holiday destination, especially as

Scarborough markets itself as family orientated.

I was under the impression vast resources – at national, county and local levels had been dedicated to improving the water quality in this area, yet we still fail to meet the highest environmental standards.

Why have we failed, and to what end are those responsible for maintaining what is, after all, surely one of the main constituents of this areas offer, addressing these issues?

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With the continued challenge from, not only our fellow UK seaside holiday resorts coupled with the ever-increasing lure of overseas warmer climes, surely we must aim to capitalise on what is, after all, surely our greatest asset, the sea.

The coastline and these areas beaches are the reason why almost all of the town’s visitors come here in the first instance; therefore, anything other than the most aggressive, forward thinking approach to tackling these issues must be of paramount importance.

This town was, arguably, the world’s very first seaside resort. To continue not only that tradition but seek new opportunities we need a healthy, environmentally, sustainable North Sea more than ever.

Michael Knaggs

Box Hill

Scarborough