Northumberland named England’s cleanest county for sea swimming again
Northumberland has retained its title as the cleanest county in England for swimming in the sea.
It tops the league table of coastal counties with 92% of its beaches rated ‘excellent’ for water quality, including Newbiggin, Beadnell and Bamburgh.
The league table is part of the annual Brown Flag Awards, which hands out prizes to England’s dirtiest beaches.
Now in their third year and organised by travel website HolidayParkGuru.co.uk, the awards analyse Environment Agency data from hundreds of beaches.
In total, 15 beaches in England have been given Brown Flags for 2026, including beaches in Blackpool, Weston-Super-Mare and Bognor. That’s a slight drop on last year, when 19 beaches were ‘top of the plops’.
The dirtiest beaches are offered brown flags featuring a smiling poo emoji to warn bathers.
None of Northumberland’s beaches are rated as Brown Flag Beaches and this is the second year in a row that Northumberland has topped the clean water table. Dorset and Cornwall make up the rest of the top three.
Keen sea-swimmer Robbie Lane from HolidayParkGuru.co.uk said: “As we saw on the TV programme Dirty Business, some of England’s beaches are in an appalling state and are deserving of brown flags to warn swimmers.
"Northumberland then deserves praise for being top of the table again. To have 92% of beaches rated as excellent - and none earning a Brown Flag – is an outstanding result. It’s one of the best places in the country for a sea swim, and a benchmark for everyone else.”