New investigations and tests are to be carried out in a bid to win back a prestigious European blue flag for Clacton's most popular beach.
Anglian Water and the Environment Agency are to survey the area in the next couple of weeks in an effort to discover why the quality of the water fell below the highest possible standards achieved elsewhere along the coast.
The latest set of results revealed that all but two of Tendring's monitored beaches achieved guideline status - the top grade given by the European Commission.
Water bosses are mystified as to why Clacton's West Beach did not hit the mark.
Sara Rowland, of Anglian Water, said the company was delighted that all the beaches made mandatory standards and most reached top quality.
"The West Beach had a blue flag for a time in the 1990s but lost it when water standards were raised," she said.
"The results from the last bathing season are the first to have had the full benefit of the secondary treatment works at Clacton and Jaywick but the West Beach at groyne 41 failed to make the guideline status and we know that is of concern."
She said a joint survey is to be carried out as soon as the weather improves in the hope of finding out why.
Dovercourt is currently the only beach in Tendring to fly the prestigious flag as it has achieved both the water standard as well as the on-shore facilities needed to qualify.
Published Monday, January 13, 2003
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