Businesses and residents in South Shields are celebrating after Sandhaven Beach was named the best beach in the UK by the Sunday Times.
The Times chief travel writer, Chris Haslam, has revealed the 50 best beaches in the UK, after visiting 800 beaches over the last year to draw up his list. And it's the long stretch of golden sand at Sandhaven in South Shields that's beat off stiff competition from all over the country to be crowned number one.
ChronicleLive visited the Blue Flag beach to find out what businesses and walkers thought of the accolade and why they thought it deserved the title.