Five of the North East's beaches have been awarded Blue Flag status in time for the summer.
Across the North East nine beaches have been presented with awards by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, recognising the quality of the beaches, the way they are managed and the facilities they offer to visitors.
But the internationally recognised Blue Flag award - awarded to beaches with the highest standards - went to just five.
They are:
Tynemouth Longsands - North Tyneside
King Edwards Bay - North Tyneside
Whitley Bay - North Tyneside
Roker - Sunderland
Seaburn - Sunderland
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Across England, 78 sites were awarded Blue Flags.
The nine beaches in the region which were awarded the Seaside Award, including all five Blue Flag winners are:
Tynemouth Longsands - North Tyneside
King Edwards Bay - North Tyneside
Whitley Bay - North Tyneside
Seaton Carew Central - Hartlepool
Saltburn - Redcar and Cleveland
Redcar Lifeboat Road - Redcar and Cleveland
Roker - Sunderland
Seaburn - Sunderland
Sandhaven South Shields - South Tyneside
Keep Britain Tidy’s Chief Executive, Allison Ogden-Newton OBE said: “Visitors to a beach flying a Blue Flag or Seaside Award can be assured the beach will be clean, safe and meet the highest environmental standards, as well as international bathing water quality standards.
“The Blue Flag is the world’s most recognised award for beaches and marinas and, in order to qualify, each applicant must meet and maintain a series of stringent environmental, educational, safety and accessibility criteria.
“We’d therefore like to recognise and applaud all those who have worked so hard to protect and improve some of our best-loved and most popular beaches. The collective efforts of beach managers, volunteers, residents and businesses all contribute to the success of these sites in achieving the incredibly high standards demanded.”
The Blue Flag and Seaside Awards are aimed at improving the quality of England’s coastline and promoting the country’s best beaches.
Blue Flag is an international award managed by Keep Britain Tidy on behalf of the Foundation for Environmental Education. It is only presented to well-managed beaches with excellent water quality and environmental education programmes, while Seaside Awards are presented to the best beaches in England and celebrate the quality and diversity of our coastline.
Among the criteria beaches are assessed against are:
Safety and services, such as first aid, lifeguards where necessary
Environmental information including displaying details about local eco systems
Water quality – Blue Flag beaches must meet the ‘excellent’ water quality standard as set out in the EU bathing water directive and Seaside Award winners must meet the 'sufficient’ standard.
Environmental management, including litter and waste
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