THERE will be celebrations in Clacton todaywhen the beach is officially named one of the best in Britain.The Tendring area is at the forefront of celebrations in the eastern region where 26 beaches have won a Seaside Award for having top facilities, clean sands and water.

THERE will be celebrations in Clacton todaywhen the beach is officially named one of the best in Britain.

The Tendring area is at the forefront of celebrations in the eastern region where 26 beaches have won a Seaside Award for having top facilities, clean sands and water.

Frinton on Sea and Walton on the Naze will be flying the Seaside Award flag for the first-time. The other award winning beaches are Brightlingsea and Dovercourt Bay.

Organised by ENCAMS (the group behind the Keep Britain Tidy campaign), the awards have been honouring the very best in UK beaches since 1992.

In the report published today, which looked at 171 beaches across the UK, Clacton came top in East Anglia and was named joint seventh best resort beach in the UK.

This year the awards take Essex's total to nine winners. Suffolk again boasts ten winners, while Norfolk will be flying seven flags.

Terry Allen, leader of Tendring District Council, said: "It's tremendous and all down to the hard work of our staff on the council who keep the beaches nice and to the councillors who have pushed this initiative through.

"Clacton beach is everyone's favourite and probably the jewel in our crown - everyone in the world knows about it."

A spokesman for the council added: "These are the Oscars of the English seaside resort world and we are celebrating.

"With five out of five of our nominated beaches winning awards out of a total of nine in the whole of Essex and the added bonus of Clacton being placed in the UK's top 10, as well as declared number one in East Anglia, it feels like we have just swept the board."

Winning beaches in Suffolk are Aldeburgh, Felixstowe South and The Dip, Kessingland, Lowestoft, both north and south of the pier, Sizewell, Southwold Pier, Southwold Denes and Thorpeness.

The awards are presented to resorts and rural beaches that are well managed. This includes providing ample facilities such as showers and a lifeguard and enforcing a dog ban during the seasonal months.

The Environment Agency tests bathing water quality and only those beaches that have passed the EU minimum legal standards, as well as the strict management criteria, are allowed to fly the Seaside Award Flag.

Nigel Tansley-Thomas, regional director of ENCAMS, said: "There will be celebrations all round East Anglia today because of the hard work of beach managers in bringing our beaches up to scratch to scoop an award.

"We mustn't become complacent. Our beaches may be getting better but sadly this progress is not always happening off the beach."

The report says the public's perception of UK beaches is getting better, with 96% of UK beaches have no dog fouling, 86% no litter problem and that improvements have been made in water safety, access and information.