THE Mayor of Lowestoft has spoken out in defence of the resort following claims one of its beaches should be stripped of its prized Blue Flag.The environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has put Lowestoft South on a list of 34 beaches nationwide that, it claims, should lose the much-coveted status.

THE Mayor of Lowestoft has spoken out in defence of the resort following claims one of its beaches should be stripped of its prized Blue Flag.

The environmental campaign group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) has put Lowestoft South on a list of 34 beaches nationwide that, it claims, should lose the much-coveted status.

But the town's mayor Nigel Dack, who is also a Waveney district councillor, said the beach - which stretches from the pier to Pakefield - offered top-notch facilities and was worthy of its Blue Flag.

'I would very much like to see the group's information,' he said. 'We have had a Blue Flag here for many, many years.

'I am very surprised. The area has undergone quite a lot of regeneration over the last five or 10 years and the facilities are top-notch.

'The sand and the water quality is very good. It has to be if you want to be awarded a Blue Flag because the criteria are extremely strict.'

The SAS have released a list of 34 beaches nationwide - which also includes Cromer in Norfolk - which they claim are unable to comply with a requirement imposed by the Blue Flag programme to warn the public about raw sewage spilling into the sea.

Britain has 131 beaches which have passed strict tests to fly the flag - showing excellence in water quality and beach cleanliness.

But using the Freedom of Information Act, the campaigners found some local authorities did not request real-time information on combined sewage overflow (CSO) discharge.

The SAS said those beaches could not therefore meet a mandatory requirement to warn the public during and after emergency pollution events, such as sewage discharge from a CSO, which could pose health risks to bathers.