Beach excels for bathing

PORTOBELLO Beach has earned top "recommended" status in the Good Beach Guide 2011 for excellent bathing water.

Every year, the Marine Conservation Society campaigns to prevent sewage polluting beaches and salutes beaches with the best water quality from all over the UK.

Councillor Robert Aldridge, the city council's environmental leader, said: "We have invested heavily in the area and this news is especially important for local wildlife who make the beach their home and great news for visitors to the city and locals alike."