Keep Britain Tidy awards Blue Flags to Highcliffe Beach, Friars Cliff and Avon Beach in Christchurch

THREE beaches in Christchurch have once again received Blue Flag accreditation in recognition of their “excellent” water quality.

Highcliffe Beach, Friars Cliff and Avon Beach were honoured for the second year in a row by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

In total, 12 beaches in the BCP Council area received flags.

The accolades were awarded as the authority relaunches its Leave Only Footprints campaign, which aims to encourage beach visitors to keep the coastline and open spaces clean.

BCP’s head of seafront Anthony Rogers said: “We are extremely proud of the number of awards we’ve received this year.

“Our teams work incredibly hard behind the scenes to care for the beaches we all love and enjoy.

"We are lucky to be the guardians of such a breathtaking stretch of coastline and it’s great to know that Keep Britain Tidy has given us its seal of approval.”

He added: “We are encouraging all visitors to help us stay award-winning by picking up their litter, leave only footprints and help us protect our environment for generations to come.”

Mr Rogers encouraged everyone visiting the region’s beaches to use the colour coded waste bins and the free water refill stations installed last year in a bid to cut down on plastic use.

BCP Council estimates these water stations save some 19,000 plastic bottles from being brought to and discarded at the beach every month.