France's cleanest beaches revealed

TWENTY-ONE beaches around France have been awarded a blue flag for the first time this summer, bringing the total along the French coastline to 341.

The prize is awarded to local authorities that can prove their beaches are clean, have good disabled access, safe sea water and plenty of rubbish collection facilities.

However, the scheme is voluntary and local communes choose whether to apply for recognition - so the absence of a blue flag elsewhere does not necessarily mean the beach is sub-standard.

Each of the 124 communes that has been awarded blue flags for its beaches is required to take five sea water samples throughout the year and publish the results.

The 21 new beaches joining the list in 2010 include Cannes, Dieppe and Honfleur.

Every coastal department in France has at least one blue flag beach, except the Eure (Haute-Normandie), the Landes and the Pyrénées-Atlantiques (Aquitaine).

The Hérault, on the Languedoc-Roussillon coast, has 12 communes with blue flag beaches, the highest of any department in mainland France.

The full list is available on the Le Parisien website.