Following an unexpected visit from Keep Britain Tidy, the Beachlands area of Hayling Island remains worthy of flying the prestigious and world acclaimed Blue Flag.
During a mystery shopper style visit a team from the organisation who awards seaside resorts with the Blue Flag arrived to inspect and verify all the criteria, necessary for this international certification, were being met.
The visiting inspectors were impressed with the positive and seamless service provided with informative signage, first aid points, cleanliness and accessibility for disabled, amongst other things.
The inspections are carried out, not only on Hayling Island, but across all of the beaches that boast the blue flag award, with the objective being to confirm that beachgoers and holidaymakers are receiving a satisfactory level of service during the height of the summer season.
Havant Borough Council, working with Norse South East, continue to rigorously maintain the popular seafront of Hayling to ensure the frequency of emptying of bins and containers are increased, the cleanliness of the toilets and that visitors are in the correct area for their chosen activity.
Clare Satchwell, Cabinet Lead for Planning, Hayling Seafront Strategy and Coastal Management, said; “As an islander myself I know the importance of the seafront to everyone who uses it, not only residents but visitors alike, and it is important that we get it right. It isn’t only being awarded the Blue Flag; a lot of work goes into ensuring we are allowed to continue to fly it throughout the season.
“We have seen, and heard, what is required and are doing our upmost to ensure we are fulfilling those requirements. We have increased the frequency of bin collections, but our message remains the same – if the bin is full, please take your rubbish home with you. We have also improved our cleaning regime of toilets, yet still ask people to leave the conveniences how they would like to find them.
“We have already improved signage showing that dogs are not permitted on the blue flag beach, and where to find first aid, however we will continue to improve signage, not only in our Blue Flag area, but along the many miles of beautiful seafront we are lucky to have here on the Island.”
The team from Keep Britain Tidy did highlight two areas for improvement, that included enhancement of the disabled access and updated information and signage relating to planned environmental projects.
During last nights meeting of Full Council, whereby a petition was brought to Havant Borough Council from Hayling Sewage Watch group, to ‘Help stop Hayling beaches being polluted with untreated sewage’, it was agreed to continue support for regular weekly water testing, undertaken by the Environment Agency, along with improved new signage across Hayling Seafront to signpost visitors to water quality information.
For more information about Hayling Island seafront visit www.havant.gov.uk/hayling-island-seafront where you can find out the latest travel information, places to visit and a whole lot more.