The Roseland peninsula has got a big ‘thumbs-up’ in the 2009 Good Beach Guide.

The National guide, compiled by the Marine Conservations Society (MCS) as part of a campaign for clean seas and beaches across the UK, assessed the water quality of three beaches on the Roseland – Pendower near Veryan, Porthcurnick, near Portscatho,

Roseland waters: clean and safe and Towan near St  Mawes. All three beaches were ratedas MCS Recommended -which  means they had excellent water quality through the summer of 2008, continuous waste water discharges (if any) were properly treated, and storm overflows (again if any) had a low impact.

The Roseland’s MSC results seems to have bucked the national trend this year, which saw the biggest annual fall in the number of beaches recommended in the UK – only 370 which is 74 less than in 2008. Moreover, 17 beaches in other parts of Cornwall saw a drop in their measured water quality from the highest standard.

According to the MCS the most likely explanation for the poor national figures was last summer’s heavy rain which swept pollutants, such as raw sewage, into the rivers and the sea.