The best and worst beaches in the North East when it comes to cleanliness have been ranked. 

Online site Holiday Park Guru has given cleanliness scores for beaches across the region, ranking them excellent, good, sufficient, and poor when it comes to cleanest beaches for swimming. 

This comes alongside the 'brown flag awards', which is a twist on the blue flags used to recognise clean and sustainable waters and were gifted to the beaches ranked the lowest by the Environment Agency.

These rankings come from the Environment Agency but have been split into regional categories by Robbie Lane from Holiday Park Guru.

Mr Lane, a keen sea-swimmer himself, said: "We’re hoping to make a real splash in the papers with the launch of England’s first-ever 'Brown Flag Awards'.

"Commiserations to our 13 winners this year – you are top of the plops.

"We just hope they’ll take up our offer of a free brown flag, although I’m afraid we can’t quite afford to provide a flagpole as well.”

Despite the 'brown flag awards' - there have been rankings of good quality swimming spots across the North East.

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The best and worst beaches in the North East for cleanliness:

Tyne and Wear

3 Star Beaches (Excellent):

  • Roker
  • Seaburn - Sunderland
  • South Shields
  • Tynemouth King Edwards Bay
  • Tynemouth Long Sands North
  • Tynemouth Long Sands South
  • Whitley Bay

2 Star Beaches (Good):

  • Marsden

1 Star Beaches (Sufficient):

  • None

Zero Star Beaches (Poor)

  • Tynemouth Cullercoats

County Durham and Teesside

3 Star Beaches (Excellent):

  • Seaton Carew North Gare

2 Star Beaches (Good):

  • Crimdon (near Parkdean Resorts Crimdon Dene Holiday Park)
  • Seaham Beach
  • Seaton Carew Centre
  • Seaton Carew North

1 Star Beaches (Sufficient)

  • Seaham Hall Beach

Northumberland

3 Star Beaches (Excellent):

  • Bamburgh Castle
  • Beadness
  • Blyth South Beach
  • Druridge Bay North
  • Druridge Bay South
  • Low Newton
  • Seahouses North
  • Seaton Sluice
  • Spittal
  • Warkworth

2 Star Beaches (Good):

  • Amble Links
  • Newbiggen North
  • Newbiggen South

1 Star Beaches (Sufficient):

  • None

Zero Star Beaches (Poor):

  • None

Yorkshire

3 Star Beaches (Excellent):

  • Cayton Bay
  • Danes Dyke, Flamborough
  • Flamborough South Landing
  • Hornsea
  • Redcar Granville
  • Redcar Lifeboat Station
  • Redcar Stray
  • Sandsend
  • Whitby
  • Withernsea

2 Star Beaches (Good):

  • Bridlington North Beach
  • Filey
  • Fraisthorpe
  • Marske Sands
  • Redcar Coatham
  • Reighton
  • Robin Hoods Bay
  • Runswick Bay
  • Saltburn
  • Scarborough North Bay
  • Skipsea
  • Wilsthorpe

1 Star Beaches (Sufficient):

  • None

Zero Star Beaches (Poor):

  • Scarborough South Bay
  • Bridlington South Beach