Shocking new figures show that more than one in four children has never swum in the sea in this country.
Research from Keep Britain Tidy also reveals that a third of children have never been on holiday to the coast and nearly one in five has never even set foot on a British beach.
The news comes as the charity today announces 12 Blue Flags and 18 Seaside Awards in the East of England.
In total, 65 beaches around the country can now proudly fly a Blue Flag – an international award which means visitors can be sure they are clean and safe.
And 125 British beaches have received a Seaside Award this year – Keep Britain Tidy's own award for beaches that meet the very highest standards for cleanliness and facilities.
Visitors to award-winning beaches can be sure of a clean, safe beach with great facilities and water quality.
Keep Britain Tidy's Chief Executive Allison Ogden-Newton said: 'Blue Flag leads the fight back for the Blue Planet. Our research shows that nearly two thirds of parents would prefer to visit beaches with Blue Flag or Seaside Award status, so growing the number of beaches with an award is vital to encourage more families to visit our beautiful coastline.
'Blue Flag and Seaside Awards set the standard for our beaches, including the war against the litter and plastic that does so much damage to our marine environment.
'Keep Britain Tidy leads the fight to create clean, plastic-free beaches. We are committed to creating a great environment on our doorstep for everyone to enjoy and offering a quality mark that shows everyone just how fantastic our beaches can be.
'It's brilliant to see so many beaches in the East of England and the rest of the country winning Blue Flag and Seaside Award status this year, thanks to dedication and hard work of beach staff and volunteers who work tirelessly to maintain the high standards. Hopefully next year we'll see an even greater number joining us as we drive up standards across the board.'
This year's winners will be presented with their flags at a ceremony today on Cromer pier, hosted by North Norfolk District Council.
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