Newton Beach in Millport will once again fly the Rural Seaside Award flag above its sands.

The beach has been recognised in the Keep Scotland Beautiful Seaside Awards programme for litter management, information provision, safety procedures and water quality.

The seaside award scheme has been used as a quality benchmark for Scotland’s beaches for the past 23 years with Millport’s beach winning an award every year since 2011.

Cabinet Member for Place, Councillor Tony Gurney said: “It comes as great news that one of North Ayrshire’s most beautiful beaches has been awarded a Scottish Seaside Award from Keep Scotland Beautiful.

“The council works hard to ensure North Ayrshire’s beaches are kept clean and tidy for the use of both residents and visitors, so to have won this prestigious award is great recognition of the work that is being carried out.” Derek Robertson, Chief Executive of KSB added: “Beaches are an important asset to communities and their economies. It is vital that our coastlines are maintained to the highest standards to continue to attract visitors from near and far. Keep Scotland Beautiful will continue its work to ensure that Scotland’s beaches offer a great day out.”