The water is clean around Southwold Pier

Hunstanton in Norfolk and Martello Bay in Clacton, Essex, have both lost their Encams awards, given for the first time only last year.

Great Yarmouth Central and Essex's Jubilee beach also lost their flags.

A total of 14 beaches across Suffolk, Norfolk and Essex can still fly their flags to represent litter-free sands and good bathing waters.

Nigel Tansley-Thomas, regional director of ENCAMS, said: "The awards have been running for 20 years now.

East of England blue flag winners Brightlingsea Beach, Essex Cromer, Norfolk Dovercourt Bay, Essex Felixstowe South, Suffolk Gorleston Beach, Norfolk Lowestoft North, Suffolk Lowestoft South, Suffolk Mundesley, Norfolk Sea Palling, Norfolk Sheringham, Norfolk Three Shells Beach, Essex Shoebury Common Beach, Essex East Beach, Shoeburyness, Essex Southwold Pier Beach, Suffolk

"It is great to see beaches continuing to gain international recognition, year after year.

"It is testament to the growing popularity and credibility of the awards, but also the hard work that those who look after our beaches have put in to make these stretches of coast spotless."

In Suffolk, where they retained all their blue flag beaches, a flag raising ceremony was held at Lowestoft and Southwold's Lifeguard stations.

Asa Morrison, of Waveney District Council, said: "This is excellent news as our beaches are one of the primary reasons visitors come.

"To receive this accolade for the fifth year running is of great benefit to the local tourism industry."

'A bad reading'

But in Essex, where Jubilee beach lost its flag due to water quality, there was mixed reaction to the awards.

John Lamb, a Southend-on-Sea Borough councillor, told BBC News: "We're disappointed because a bad reading was taken,

"We queried why it was so high on various levels - it can't be right when bordering beaches were all okay.

"The beach is very good and we have a coastal quality award.

"We've won the awards [for three beaches] on water quality, which is very good and we're very pleased."