Aberystwyth’s south beach has lost its Blue Flag status – but three Ceredigion beaches will continue to fly the internationally recognised award.

Borth, Llangrannog and Tresaith will all fly the Blue Flag this coming year, but Aberystwyth South has lost its status.

Poppit Sands on the other side of the Teifi also maintained Blue Flag status for 2025.

South beach in Aberystwyth has however achieved a Seaside award, which a UK only beach award, signifying a clean, attractive and well-managed coastal stretch.

Keep Wales Tidy on Thursday announced the recipients of the much-coveted annual awards, with three beaches in Ceredigion receiving the Blue Flag Awards, six winning Seaside Awards and four gaining Green Coast Awards.

Blue Flags are one of the world’s most recognised awards for beaches, highlighting not only the highest standards of water quality, but also high-quality amenities, sustainable development of tourism, information provision, environmental education, safety and access, and site management

Awarded by the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), beaches must adhere to specific criteria ensuring the beach or marina is clean, safe, and well-managed, promoting sustainability and attracting visitors.

Seaside Awards were given to six Ceredigion beaches.

Aberystwyth South, Aberystwyth North, New Quay Harbour, Aberporth, Clarach and Traeth y Dolau (New Quay North) all received the Seaside Awards, again retaining their status from 2024 in recognition of their good standard of water quality, public facilities, safety provision and management.

Green Coast Awards celebrate the ‘hidden gems’ of the Welsh coastline – beaches that boast unspoilt beauty, excellent water quality and a high standard of environmental education.

Llanrhystud, Mwnt and Penbryn all gained the accolade for 2025, retaining their status from last year as some of Ceredigion’s top natural beauty spots.

The Green Coast Award signify that all are exceptional places to enjoy stunning scenery, rich coastal heritage and diversity.

The Wales Coast Awards have been managed by Keep Wales Tidy for more than 20 years and signify that a beach or marina meets and maintains the highest environmental standards and achieves tough water quality targets, as well as ensuring high standards of information provision, safety, and site management.

Owen Derbyshire, Chief Executive of Keep Wales Tidy said: “The Wales Coast Awards are a fantastic celebration of Wales’ beautiful and diverse coastline and are testament to the huge effort of staff and volunteers at sites across Wales.”

Cllr Clive Davies, Ceredigion County Council Cabinet Member for the Economy and Regeneration, said: “We are extremely proud that so many beaches in Ceredigion have been recognised by the Wales Coast Awards.

“This is a credit to all the magnificent beaches we have and the respect our local people and visitors have in keeping them clean and tidy for everyone to enjoy.

“Come and see these beautiful beaches for yourself this summer – from Borth beach in the north of the county to Mwnt beach in the south, we have so much to offer.”

No awards were issued to beaches in Gwynedd as the council has not submitted entries since 2022, citing entry costs as the main reason.