Beaches come in all shapes and sizes. Some are great sweeping stretches of sand flanked by jagged cliffs, some are cute little coves, some have soft, fine sand, others are shingle. And in\u00a0the UK, many beaches are of the town variety, attached to quaint seaside spots.\u00a0<\/p>\n
If you\u2019re planning a sojourn to the seaside, never mind the how many chippies or ice cream parlour\u2019s the town has \u2013 what about the quality of the beach? That\u2019s why a new\u00a0list by the Mirror<\/a>\u00a0has ranked the best seaside towns in Britain, based on how nice its adjoining sea and sand is. Frankly, it\u2019s such an obvious idea we wish we had come up with it ourselves.\u00a0<\/p>\n The Mirror analysed the number of Blue Flag and Seaside Award beaches at each of Britain\u2019s seaside towns to come up with the ranking. What is a Blue Flag? You may be asking. It\u2019s an internationally-recognised award given to beaches with excellent water quality, environmental management and safety. The Seaside Award assesses beaches on similar standards, and is set up by the\u00a0UK body Keep Britain Tidy.\u00a0<\/p>\n Taking the cake in first place was Southend-on-Sea<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0in Essex\u00a0<\/strong>thanks to its proximity to three Blue Flag beaches and five beaches with a Seaside Award.\u00a0Southend\u2019s best beaches included\u00a0Shoebury Common, a colourful hut-lined sandy stretch; Three Shells Beach, a family-friendly spot close to the town\u2019s pier and high street, and\u00a0Bell Wharf Beach, where visitors can see fishing boats coming in.\u00a0<\/p>\n In\u00a0joint second place\u00a0was Broadstairs<\/strong>, Christchurch, Torquay, Porthcawl <\/strong>and Tenby<\/strong>. Each of these towns was near to\u00a0at least three Blue Flag beaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n Britain\u2019s 5 best\u00a0seaside\u00a0towns, based on beach quality<\/p>\n Here are the top beach towns in the UK, according to the\u00a0Mirror.\u00a0<\/p>\n 1. Southend-on-Sea<\/p>\n 2. Broadstairs<\/p>\n = Christchurch<\/p>\n = Torquay<\/p>\n = Porthcawl<\/p>\n = Tenby<\/p>\n You can read the\u00a0Mirror\u2019s list in full here.<\/a><\/p>\n The best beaches in the UK, according to Time Out<\/a>.<\/p>\n The British beach that has been slammed as one of the worst in the world<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n And this is the best seaside view in Britain<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n