East Devon beach likely to be stripped of Blue Flag

Budleigh Salterton could lose accolade

A popular Devon beach that secured an internationally recognised award for the first time this year looks set to lose the accolade in 2026.

Budleigh Salterton beach bagged the Blue Flag award for the 2025 season earlier this year for the first time, but a drop in its water quality means local experts believe it will have to give it up next year.

That’s because the water quality has now been measured only as ‘good’ by the Environment Agency, and the Blue Flag award requires it to be ‘excellent’.

The Environment Agency said it took samples on 20 occasions between May 1 and September 30 this year, and that the classification is now ‘good’, having been ‘excellent’ in 2024, 2023 and 2022.

The data shows slightly elevated levels of Intestinal Enterococci (IE) and Escherichia coli (E.coli). The levels of the latter are lower than 2021, but have crept up since 2022, according to data on South West Water’s website.

However, the water firm said there had been 100 fewer sewer spills in 2025 than last year. Plus, while sewage spills can be a contributor to poorer water quality, other factors can also be to blame, including agricultural run-off, animal effluence, or pollution from urban sources.

It added that its bathing water report showed that even if combined sewer overflows were completely stopped, this wouldn’t automatically lead to ‘excellent’ water quality because of those other factors.

The Blue Flag is awarded in the UK by Keep Britain Tidy, and its criteria relates to environmental education and information, cleanliness, environmental and operational management, and safety and facilities.

A daily lifeguard service for the beach was secured in July until September as part of efforts to gain the Blue Flag.

Peter Williams, from the Otter Valley Association, said he had raised concerns about sewage overflows in the area to South West Water as East Devon District Council.

“The water quality for a Blue Flag has to be excellent, so for the 2026 season it will only be good, meaning I don’t think we will qualify for a Blue Flag,” he said.

“It has been so predictable too, as the Lime Kiln pumping station has been broken for two years, and I have spoken to the district and town councils about how important this is as I feared it could lead to us losing the ‘excellent’ water quality rating.

Mr Williams acknowledged South West Water had carried out remedial and improvement work towards the top of the town, but believed further work near Fore Street and Brook Road had not been completed and was contributing to the reduction in water quality.

“They did the first bit of work in January and February this year, but I said it wouldn’t be enough and that we needed to push South West Water to finish the job,” he said.

SWW’s website states it has invested around £3.6 million to reduce the number of spills from its storm overflows in the town, with Meadow Road storm overflow improved in March 2022, and “major work” to clean the 7.7 kilometre long rising main from Lime Kilns pumping station to Maer Lane sewage treatment works had been completed in November 2023.

It noted it was relining sewers and removing land drains to reduce the volume of water in the network, which should help reduce storm overflows. This work started in July 2024.

The Lime Kiln storm overflow had 212 spills in 2024, well above the 118 in 2023 and the 31 in 2022.

Keep Britain Tidy, which hands out the Blue Flag awards, was contacted for comment but did not respond.

South West Water added the Environment Agency was in the process of carrying out additional testing at Budleigh to identify the cause of the deteriorating water quality.