Sunderland coast cleanliness rating divides local opinion

Roker and Seaburn’s beach in Sunderland was recently listed as one of the top ten cleanest beaches in the UK in a study by Vape Superstore, which analysed Tripadvisor reviews, bathing water quality, smoking rules, and Blue Flag status.

The ranking praised the coastline for its cleanliness, with only 0.43 per cent of public reviews mentioning litter or rubbish.

However, some residents have expressed concern about water quality, raising questions about sewage discharges from the Whitburn outfall.

One local mentioned: “The water quality at Seaburn is anything but good courtesy of the discharge pipe at Whitburn.”

They also raised questions over sewerage figures relating to the area that were reported in previous years.

In 2024, it was reported that in response to a Freedom of Information request, Northumbrian Water estimated that around one million tonnes of sewage were discharged from a Whitburn site, but have since disputed that figure as “not necessarily accurate”, as volumes of storm overflows are not measured.

Northumbrian Water has told the Northern Echo that it is working to reduce sewage overflows across the region: “We share our customers and communities’ passion for having clean waterways and we understand that reducing the use of storm overflows is one of the most important things we can do.”

The company said it plans to invest £1.7 billion in environmental improvements between 2025 and 2030.

Northumbrian Water said: “Data for 2025 shows that spills from our storm overflows have decreased by 32 per cent over the past year, and this is partly due to investment in infrastructure, and trials of our world-leading Smart Sewers project, which uses AI to predict rainfall and reduce the reliance on storm overflows.”

Despite recent and planned improvements, some residents remain sceptical over the cleanliness of the surrounding coastline.

One commenter wrote: “The bar is set very low these days to be the cleanest in the UK.”

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Others noted that Seaburn ‘lost’ its Blue Flag status in 2025.

One local said: “The loss of this award raises legitimate questions about whether current standards are as high as suggested.”

The loss of this award raises legitimate questions about whether current standards are as high as suggested

Whilst Seaburn was not named on Keep Britain Tidy’s 2025 Blue Flag winner’s list, it was given the Seaside Award, along with Roker Beach which did retain its Blue Flag status.

A spokesman for Keep Britain Tidy said: “Not only does a Blue Flag show locals and visitors that they have arrived at a clean, safe and beautiful beach, it is also a mark of quality that sets the beach out as an asset to its community and local businesses that will drive and increase tourism.”

Despite concerns, Roker and Seaburn beaches were ranked 9th in the Cleanest Beaches list, with a score of 7.33 out of ten.