Seaside resorts let down by their loos

MANY SEASIDE resorts are let down by lousy loos, according to the Tidy Britain Group. A quarter of beach lavatories are badly maintained or dirty, thecharity found in a survey of 153 beaches in England, Wales and Scotland last summer.

Since the group's previous survey in 1996, the average score for facilities has dropped by 8 per cent, and the average score for beach cleanliness has dropped by 3 per cent.

But beach access, water safety and information provision have improved, and three-quarters of beaches are well-managed overall, compared with 65 per cent in 1996.

The cleanest beaches were in East Anglia, the survey found, while beach and water safety were highest in the North-east. The best dog control policies were on the east coast, and the best facilities and accessibility and the clearest information are to be found in the South-east and South- west.

Six out of the worst eight beaches overall are in Scotland.

Professor Graham Ashworth, the Tidy Britain Group's director-general, said: "It is a great shame that the UK's resorts are being let down by the poor state of their toilets. It is also of great concern that litter is, once more, becoming an issue on our beaches.

"However, I am encouraged that beach managers have acted on the advice we gave in 1996 to improve their signage and information provision. This gives me hope that resorts will take heed of this call to tackle their toilets and therefore make a day at the seaside more enjoyable for their visitors."

Beaches were assessed oncriteria such as access, cleanliness, water safety, dog control, facilities and amenities, maintenance and information - but not water quality.

They were not ranked in an individual league table but graded in bands. The group put 32 in the top band, Grade A. Of these, 14 beaches possess the top water quality according to the measurement criteria used by the EU's bathing water directive, and so were named the Tidy Britain Group's best beaches in Britain.

They are: Barmouth,Blackpool Sands in Devon, Bournemouth Durley Chine, Bournemouth Fisherman's Walk, Cromer, Eastbourne, Herne Bay, Littlehampton, Poole Sandbanks, Shanklin, Sheerness Beach Street, West Wittering, Weymouth Central and Woolacombe.

The eight beaches placed in the bottom band, Grade D, were: Aberdeen, Ardrossan Saltcoats, Benllech, Elie, Fraserbugh, Hemsby, Largs, Portobello and Prestwick. All are in Scotland apart from Benllech, which is in Anglesey, and Hemsby, which is in Norfolk.