EIGHT East Lothian beaches have been named winners of prestigious Scotland Beach Awards. . . but Fisherrow Sands has been declared the fourth dirtiest beach in Britain in a different survey.

Belhaven Bay; Dunbar East Beach; Gullane Bents; Longniddry Gosford Bay; Longniddry No. 1 and 2; North Berwick East Beach; North Berwick West Beach and Yellowcraig were all presented with an accolade by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

Gullane, along with St Andrews West Sands in Fife, is the longest-running beach in the awards, winning consecutively for 29 years.

Dunbar East Beach, following recent improvement works, is featured in the awards once again following a three-year absence – it is the only new East Lothian addition this year.

Longniddry No. 1 and 2 has been featured on the list since 1999, North Berwick East Beach since 2001, Longniddry Gosford Bay and North Berwick West Beach since 2004, Belhaven Bay since 2005 and Yellowcraig since 2018.

Councillor Norman Hampshire, East Lothian Council’s environment spokesperson, said: “East Lothian’s beaches and coastline are popular destinations for both local residents and visitors alike.

“The past year saw record numbers of people coming to the beaches as they sought well-managed open spaces for outdoor exercise and relaxation.

“Scotland’s Beach Awards provide the public with clear information about environmental standards at their chosen beaches.

“In recent years, East Lothian Council has worked in partnership with others including SEPA, NatureScot, Scottish Water and local community groups to ensure the diverse needs of visitors, including water sport enthusiasts, landowners and managers are balanced with the recognition and protection of wildlife and natural habitats.”

Meanwhile, 94 per cent of Scotland’s designated bathing waters have been rated sufficient or better by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

Water standards at Belhaven; Dunbar East Beach; Gullane; Longniddry; Milsey Bay [North Berwick East Beach]; North Berwick West Beach; Seacliff; Seton Sands; Thortonloch; Whitesands; and Yellowcraig were all rated either excellent, good or sufficient.

Samples taken from across the bathing water season, which runs until September 15, are used to calculate the general water quality classification for the following year.

Fisherrow Sands is not a designated bathing water this season, despite progress to improve the water quality, following a fifth ‘poor’ classification.

The beach is not closed but advice against bathing still applies. Fisherrow was also listed as one of the dirtiest in Scotland by SaveOnEnergy.com, which scored it 1.3 out of 100. This makes it the fourth dirtiest beach in both Scotland and Britain.

Seacliff Beach, east of North Berwick, was named the second cleanest beach in Scotland with a score of 85.7; it was 69th out of the 546 British beaches analysed.

SaveOnEnergy.com used E. Coli and intestinal enterococci in the water, tested yearly by the Government, to make its list.

To read more about the study visit www.saveonenergy.com/uk/cleanest-and-dirtiest-beaches-in-uk/.