Sussex beaches are among the best in Britain.

Ten beaches in the county have received Quality Coast Awards from Encams, the charity behind the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.

A total of 73 awards were handed out to spots along the English coastline which were judged to be clean, safe and accessible.

Littlehampton Coastguard Beach, which has a large expanse of sand and shingle at low tide and lifeguards in summer, was highlighted as a family-friendly beach suitable for sandcastle building and paddling.

The 500-metre Pelham Beach in Hastings, which boasts a children's play centre and seafront theme park nearby, was also recommended alongside Worthing town beach.

Worthing's Senior Foreshore Inspector Mac Skeet said he was delighted the beach had been included in the list.

He said: "We've been working for three months to get this, putting things in place to support our application.

"It's good for the town because it brings a lot of interest. Worthing is an ideal 'bucket and spade' beach for families, so the award is well-deserved."

Three Sussex beaches were recommended for swimmers, including West Wittering near Chichester.

The beaches at Camber and at Eastbourne between the pier and Wish Tower were also included. Camber beach, near Rye, is also famed for its picturesque grass-covered dunes.

Its popularity as an artistic backdrop is such that East Sussex County Council charges film crews up to £1,410 to record there.

The scheme recommends that walkers should head to Bexhill and nearby Cooden beaches for a good stroll. Cooden beach has a long sandy foreshore and is popular with kite and windsurfers, while Bexhill is a mainly shingle beach with some sand at low-tide.

The sand and shingle beaches at Holywell, near Eastbourne and Normans Bay, near Pevensey - which is also popular with naturists - were recommended for those in search of some peace and quiet.

Norman Kinnish, Eastbourne Borough Council's tourism boss, said he was pleased the town had won two of the awards, which replace the old Seaside Award system.

He said: "The new guidelines are pretty stringent but we always maintain and manage our seafront to high standards, from daily beach cleaning to family friendly facilities, such as Kidzone wristbands and sun loungers with parasols.

"The new awards in particular give greater recognition to the value of beaches off the beaten track which meet all EU directives for water quality, but as a natural undeveloped environment, do not have the same level of facilities as many resort beaches."

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