Blue flag: Premier status

The positive aim of the clean ups is to create Blue Flag award winners, with Welsh recipients of the European benchmark due to receive their awards on Friday in Porthcawl.

The resort is one of south Wales's most popular seaside destinations.

Millions of pounds have been spent making Welsh beaches the rival of the best in Europe.

The Keep Wales Tidy group - which administers the Blue Flag awards in Wales - has said a balance should be struck between the needs of wildlife and beach users.

Tough standards

Earlier this month, five Welsh beaches have lost the prestigious Blue Flag award, given for clean water and good environmental management.

But 18 sites around Wales's coastline still meet the tough European standards - including Penmaenmawr in Conwy, north Wales, which has achieved Blue Flag status for the first time.

Marinas are also included in the survey, and like beaches, the number of Welsh sites achieving Blue flag status has dropped from seven to four.

Basking: Resorts rely on clean beaches to attract visitors

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.

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