Blue flag: Premier status

Blue Flag awards are given by the Tidy Britain Group to resort beaches that meet European Commision guidelines on water quality and environmental management.

Both Aberystwyth North and Borth in Ceredigion failed to retain the status they won last year.

But local environmental managers say they are not disturbed by the news as both areas suffered exceptional problems with flooding at the time the testing was carried out.

And they say considerable work has been done to remedy the condition of the beaches since the Blue Flag tests were carried out.

Dog-walkers

Environmental campaigners believe that the foot-and-mouth crisis may also have had an impact on the cleanliness of the coastline.

With large stretches of land marked off-limits, it is thought many people have been turning to beaches to walk their dogs.

The Tidy Britain group are encouraging dog owners to exercise their pets away from resort beaches.

Earlier this year, research revealed that beaches in Wales are the most litter-strewn in the UK.

Clean-up

A Marine Conservation Society study also shows that Wales has the biggest amount of fishing and shipping debris.

The coastal watchdog unveiled its findings in February following Beachwatch 2000 - the largest annual clean-up operation and survey of litter on beaches in Britain.

A total of 150 beaches were surveyed, 17 of them Welsh and for every kilometre surveyed, researchers found an average of 2,800 items of litter.

Although the figure was a drop on last year's total, it was still way above the UK average of 1,700 per kilometre.

The highest concentration of litter was found at Southerndown in the Vale of Glamorgan.

Tourists are to blame for the majority of the litter, but the nation also suffers from the highest concentration of debris left by fishing and shipping vessels.