The environment award, presented to 111 beaches nationally, recognises beaches that are well-managed and maintained.
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Sandown, Shanklin, Springvale and Seagrove beaches have been given the award after matching the Seaside Flag criteria, set by Keep Britain Tidy.
Other Blue Flag beaches include the likes of Botany Bay near Broadstairs in Kent, which is the northernmost of Broadstairs beaches.
There are several beaches which have got the Seaside Award, including Bridlington’s North and South Bay, Filey and both Scarborough beaches.
Hunstanton’s main beach has been awarded a Seaside Award for 2016 by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.
Opposite the famous Pleasure Beach amusement park, the stretch became eligible for Blue Flag status after it was classed previous year by the Environment Agency as having “excellent sea water quality”.
Judges visit the sandy sites to mark them on how clean and safe they are, as well as their environmental standards and water quality.
Cornwall and Devon claiming the most, at eight apiece, followed by Thanet in Kent with seven.
“Southend welcomes around 6 million visitors per year and the tourism economy supports around 7,000 jobs”.
FRED and the council work to keep it in good order by holding regular litter picks and beach sweeps.
Only two local authority areas in the country, Cornwall with 19 and Torbay 13 received more awards, and of seven new blue flags awarded across the country, Southend has scooped three of them. “Securing this award is a great achievement and one which will help us in our endeavours to make South Shields the premier coastal town in the North East, with plenty to offer residents and families every single day of the year”.
“Now the whole country knows what we have all known for years, that Sunderland has fantastic beaches with handsome, clean water to bathe in”.
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Stretches of sand from Bude to St Ives have been awarded prestigious Blue Flags.
