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BRITAIN’S answer to the Mediterranean with sandy beaches and palm-tree-lined promenades, won’t have a single Blue Flag beach this year.

Devon‘s English Riviera, formed of three towns – Paignton, Brixham and Torquay – will lose all of its Blue Flag beaches this year after the local council agreed to scrap the scheme.

At a recent meeting, Torbay Council agreed to leave the internationally recognised scheme which awards high-quality beaches.

While the English Riviera stretches across the South Devon coast, every single one of its awarded beaches sits under Torbay Council’s control.

There are six beaches in total with the award including Broadsands Beach in Paignton; Oddicombe Beach in Torquay; Preston Beach in Paignton; Torre Abbey Sands in Torquay; Breakwater Beach in Brixham and Meadfoot Beach in Torquay.

One beach – Oddicombe in Torquay – has even held a Blue Flag status since the scheme launched 38 years ago.

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The council has said that the decision has been made as local leaders believe the scheme wasn’t meeting the bay’s needs anymore and that it had become too expensive, reports theBBC.

The scheme has recently updated its criteria to include a requirement for designated zones for swimmers, surfers, boarders and motor boats at each beach.

However, for smaller coves, Torbay Council believes this is unpractical.

Councillor Martin Brook said: “I think the Blue Flag lot have shot themselves in the foot.

“Places all over the country are going to pull out of the scheme.”

The council is now planning to introduce a new scheme that would be run locally called the English Riviera Beach Standards (ERBS) scheme.

ERBS will replace the Blue Flag scheme, managing all of Torbay’s 25 beaches and coves and it would cost £260,000 less to run.

It will also allow the council to test the water standards more frequently.

The beaches will be accessed against three categories.

The first is ‘excellence’, which celebrates the highest-quality beaches in the area – ones that consistently have a great visitor experience.

The second category is ‘quality’, which looks at what unique offerings each beach has.

And the third category is ‘natural’, which highlights unspoilt beaches in the region.

Each beach will be assessed every year under the new scheme.

According to the council, the scheme will also allow water to be monitored more often, there to be a stronger focus on environmental protection and sustainability, visitor experience to be improved, be better value for money and more accurately present Torbay’s coastline.

Councillor Adam Billings, Cabinet Member for Pride in Place and Parking, said: “Torbay’s coastline is central to our identity, and these new beach awards will highlight just how deeply we value and protect it.

“By creating a locally designed system, we can focus on what truly matters to our communities, our visitors and our environment.”

Under the new ratings current Blue Flag beaches Oddicombe, Meadfoot, Torre Abbey, Broadsands and Breakwater would all move into the ‘excellence’ category.

Then in the ‘quality’ category, Maidencombe, Anstey’s Cove, Goodrington North and Goodrington South beaches would feature.

And finally, Watcombe, Petitor, Babbacombe, Peaked Tor, Corbyn Head, Livermead, Fairy Cove, Oyster Cove, Saltern Cove, Armchair Cove, Elberry Cove, Churston, Fishcombe, St Mary’s Bay, Beacon Cove and Hollicombe beaches would be in the ‘natural’ category.

The council added how Paignton and Preston Beaches will currently not be categorised due to a multi-million waterfront upgrade project taking place.

Locals are skeptical about the idea of a new scheme though, with one person commenting on social media: “Is the blue flag recognised across the globe?

“Why replace (your words) something that has been around for over 40 years. Unless you look to make cut backs on facilities.”

Another added: “Why have a local system that means nothing to our visitors…. Stick to the Blue Flag system that is known throughout the UK.”

The new scheme is set to come into force on March 2, with the former £11,000 Blue Flag budget being used to set up the scheme.

In other beach news, world famous UK beach closed to the public after storm damage.

Plus, our 26 must-visit UK beaches for 2026 – including tropical-feel spots and family-friendly finds.

The rise of girls’ flag football is following a familiar path. There now are travel teams with girls competing in offseason competitions as all-star teams similar to seven-on-seven football tournaments.

Under The Radar sports media, which for years has shot videos for YouTube and been involved in 11-man football competitions, is sponsoring a flag football team gaining attention for its success this year.

Called the Ballerettes, the team has several high school athletes from Southern California.

Leah Davis is a sophomore from Upland who was All-Baseline League. Denver De Jongh was a standout freshman at Mater Dei.
Savvy Su’e was the freshman quarterback at Banning last season. She also plays softball and basketball.

As participation and popularity rise, you can expect more travel competitions, camps and opportunities for college recruiting.

This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.

Feb. 10 (UPI) — The National Park Service removed a Pride flag from the Stonewall National Monument in New York City.

The monument is in Greenwich Village, and it commemorates the Stonewall Inn, a Manhattan gay bar that was the epicenter of the 1969 Stonewall riots. The Stonewall uprising kicked off a new battle for gay rights.

Former President Barack Obama made Christopher Park, across the street from the bar, a national monument in 2016. The NPS has flown Pride flags since it became a monument.

A spokesperson for the parks service cited new rules requiring that “only the U.S. flag and other congressionally or departmentally authorized flags are flown on NPS-managed flagpoles, with limited exceptions,” the spokesperson told NBC News. “Any changes to flag displays are made to ensure consistency with that guidance. Stonewall National Monument continues to preserve and interpret the site’s historic significance through exhibits and programs.”

Gay City News first reported the removal, which took place Monday.

New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani said he was outraged by the removal and vowed to protect the LGBTQ+ community in the city.

“New York is the birthplace of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement, and no act of erasure will ever change, or silence, that history,” Mamdani said in a post on X.

“Our city has a duty not just to honor this legacy, but to live up to it,” he said. “I will always fight for a New York City that invests in our LGBTQ+ community, defends their dignity, and protects every one of our neighbors — without exception.”

State Sen. Erik Bottcher emphasized the importance of the flag.

“The flag is more than just a flag, it represents the rich history of our community; it represents our struggle, it represents the rainbow of people within our community.”

In February 2025, the Trump administration removed mentions of “queer” and “transgender” from the website of the monument.

FOR dolphin spotting, Blue Flag coastlines, and cafés right on the beach, head to Tynemouth.

This pretty town has also just been named one of the best places to live in the North East.

Tynemouth, as its name suggests, is situated right by the mouth of the river Tyne, along the North East coastline.

Now, it’s been named as one of the top places to live in the region by Garrington Property Finders.

Out of 1447 places around the country, Tynemouth in Northumberland ranked at number 85.

However, when totted up with other locations in the North East – it came out sixth.

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Tynemouth sits between Whitley Bay and North Shields and is home to one of the best beaches in the area called Longsands.

The beach has a mile of golden sand, has been awarded Blue Flag status, and is known for having excellent surfing conditions.

One recent visitor wrote on Tripadvisor: “Lovely sand, clean. Plenty of people seen swimming, playing, boarding and walking so it’s popular but not packed.”

Another added: “Beautiful beach that’s dog friendly – loads of nice bars and coffee shops within walking distance. Stunning year around.”

Dogs are generally welcome on the northern end of Longsands beach year-round.

In the summer season between May and the end of September at the southern end of the beach and at King Edward’s Bay restrictions are in place.

Beachgoers regularly spot dolphins offshore from the beach, particularly during summer months.

Aside from spending a day at the seaside, there’s plenty for families to do including heading to the Lost World Adventure crazy golf and the Tynemouth Aquarium.

One of the most popular cafés in Tynemouth is Crusoe’s where visitors can eat right on the sand and take in the seaside view.

You can pick up breakfasts, sandwiches and the classic beach supper, fish and chips from £13.95.

Another fish and chips shop called Marshall’s which is found in the town centre is so busy it usually has customers queueing out the door.

Marshall’s is named after Jimi Hendrix who, according to a blue plaque in the restaurant’s window, ate fish and chips there while playing a show in Newcastle in March 1967.

This summer, the town will hold its annual Mouth of the Tyne Festival between July 9-12.

It’s held within the ruins of the Priory which is on top of the headland and looks over the beach.

Some of the other top places to live in the North East were the village of Wickham in Tyne and Wear and Alnwick in Northumberland.

For more on seaside towns, these are our favourites picked by Sun Travel  – with seal cruises, seafront pubs and secret beaches.

Plus, this pretty village regularly named ‘UK’s most beautiful’ is the perfect spot for a weekend break.