Three beaches have their Blue Flag taken away
Three beaches in different parts of the country have been stripped of their Blue Flag certificates after failing to pass inspections for the services they provide.
Kakia Langada on the southern Ionian island of Kythira, Nea Hora in Hania on Crete’s northern coast, and Kalo Nero in the Municipality of Trifylia in Messinia in the southwestern Peloponnese were found to be in violation of standards applied in the judging of some of the world’s best beaches.
Inspectors from the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature concluded that the services and cleanliness of the three organized beaches were below par, while facility managers also failed to abide by international safety regulations or take measures to protect the natural environment.
Though the quality of the bathing waters was found to be excellent in all three locations, the beaches will not be eligible for the annual Blue Flag award next year and will have to make improvements if they want to be nominated in the year after that.
Blue Flag is an international certification program run by the Copenhagen-based Foundation for Environmental Education.
With 395 Blue Flags awarded in May, Greece came in third place among 50 countries in Europe, Africa, New Zealand, the Caribbean as well as Brazil and Canada for the quality of its beaches this year.
