Campaign to protect Blackpool's beaches from threat of pollution set for revival

The funding will be provided jointly by Blackpool Council and water company United Utilities to re-establish the Love My Beach initiative.

Previously the project was spearheaded by Keep Britain Tidy as part of the wider Turning Tides Partnership, but it withdrew from its role delivering the partnership in 2020.

Keep Britain Tidy had been funded by the Environment Agency and United Utilities.

But now Blackpool Council has reached agreement with United Utilities to revive the campaign with the local authority providing expertise from its own officers.

Love My Beach previously organised events including beach clean-ups and education campaigns, such as urging people to consider what they flushed down the loo in order to help reduce pollution.

The Turning Tides Partnership has worked with partners across the North West since being set up in 2012. In that time major investment has included millions of pounds spent on infrastructure including improved sewage outfall pipes at Anchorsholme and Harrowside.

The decision to put funding back into the scheme comes after a survey last year found there was still strong support for the Turning Tides Partnership.

A council report says "it was agreed that Blackpool Council would be the most appropriate organisation to host the future partnership".

It adds: "A survey of partnership members by the Ribble Rivers Trust and Environment Agency in 2023 has proved the partnership is essential to enable a co-ordinated approach to tackling concerns in respect of water quality in the North West and to promote the coastline for health and wellbeing."

The partnership, which also includes the NFU (National Farmers Union) was formed after it was recognised organisations needed to work together to improve the quality of bathing water.

Blackpool South MP Chris Webb has been among those to raise concerns in recent times about beach pollution. In July he shared figures which showed there had been 158 pollution alerts for Fylde coast beaches so far this year.

Responding to Mr Webb's concerns, United Utilities revealed it is proposing its "largest ever programme of environmental improvements" to reduce sources of potential pollution with £3bn of spending in the pipeline. The company added it was "committed to working with other agencies to tackle all pollution sources".