No fewer than 18 of Kent’s beaches have been recommended in this year’s Good Beach Guide, published by the Marine Conservation Society, all clustered round the east of the county jutting out into the Channel.

From Whitstable on the north coast round to Dymchurch, on the Romney Marsh, a string of beaches has hit the standards demanded by the MCS, although only eight received Blue Flags in the European tests earlier this year.

None failed.

The cloud on the horizon is provided by sewer overflows, which have been operating more and more during the recent wet summers - the reason behind Tankerton beach losing its Blue Flag and not being recommended by the MCS this year.

Of the recommended beaches, Whitstable West Beach is the most Westerly, and from there the best beaches are St Mildred’s Bay, Westgate, Westbrook, Minnis Bay, Margate Bay, Botany Bay, Joss Bay, Stone Bay, Ramsgate sands, Pegwell Bay, Sandwich Bay, Deal Castle, St Margaret’s Bay, Dover Harbour, Sandgate, Hythe and Dymchurch.

Other Kent beaches fared less well: Broadstairs main beach was a basic pass, as were Herne Bay Central, Folkestone, Leysdown, Margate Fulsam Rock, Littlestone, Sheerness, Tankerton and Walpole Bay.

Slightly better, and meeting the guidelines, were: Herne Bay general and St Mary’s Bay.

Rachel Wyatt, from the MCS, said: "From 2001 there was a steady improvement, which peaked in the guide of 2006, when we recommended a record 505 beaches. Since then, water quality has declined due to high volumes of rain carrying storm pollution from the sewer system."

The overflow sewers dump a mixture of run-off from fields and raw sewage into the sea, sometimes next door to swimming beaches.

Nonetheless, 65 per cent of the South East’s beaches were recommended, compared to 61 per cent last year. The national figure is 55 per cent.