Beaches in Britain are getting better and the pebbles and sands along Sussex's coast are among the best of the lot.

For the first time ever, more than half of the UK's beaches are included in the Good Beach Guide 2003, compiled by the Marine Conservation Society (MCS).

Sussex has 32 beaches and 24 of them passed the highest standards of cleanliness to be recommended by the MCS.

This number is up from last year, when only 17 met the charity's stringent tests, although none of the county's beaches failed the EC mandatory standards for health and cleanliness.

The MCS believes that these minimum legal requirements for water quality are inadequate and allow bacteria levels to be too high. This can result in swimmers getting stomach upsets or similar illnesses.

To gain an MCS recommendation, 100 per cent of samples taken by inspectors must meet European Community standards which check for raw, screened or primary treated sewage in the seawater.

Several Sussex beaches that missed out on a recommendation last year have improved enough to be included in the latest guide.

These are Littlehampton - Norfolk Road, Littlehampton - Coast Guard Station, South Lancing, Hove, Brighton Kemp Town, Newhaven, Eastbourne, Pevensey Bay and Camber.

A spokesman for Brighton and Hove City Council said: "It's great news. All Brighton and Hove's beaches and seawater consistently reach European standards and usually exceed them.

"It's particularly pleasing after Brighton beach was recently voted one of the 20 best in the world by users of the travel website Expedia."

Other beaches that make the grade again this year include West Wittering, East Head West Wittering, Bracklesham Bay, Selsey, Selsey - Hillfield Road, Pagham, Felpham, Southwick, Saltdean, Newhaven West Quay, Seaford Bay, Cuckmere Haven and Birling Gap.

The number of beaches across the country that failed the EC mandatory standards was down from 62 to 53 - the lowest number ever.

Juliette Camburn, MCS Good Beach Guide officer, said: "We are very pleased with the further improvement in bathing water quality this year. Particularly encouraging is the decrease in beaches that failed the minimum standard for water quality.

"However, there are still areas affected by bacterial pollution from both sewage and diffuse sources and the guide allows the public to make an informed choice and about where and whether to bathe."