A record number of parks and green spaces have been given a Green Flag Award this year.

This year, 1,797 parks, cemeteries, universities, museums, hospitals and shopping centres have achieved Green Flag status.

Organisers of the award, Keep Britain Tidy, said it was a sign of a ‘well-managed, clean and safe park’.

Keep Britain Tidy chief executive, Allison Ogden-Newton, said: ‘Research shows that parks are a vital and valued resource in communities across the UK and we are delighted that so many of them are meeting the high standards demanded by the Green Flag Award.

‘But we cannot be complacent. We know that budgets are being squeezed in local authorities across the country and we must be vigilant to ensure that everyone, where ever they live, has access to the very best parks and green spaces.’

Milton Keynes secured its first Green Flag this year for the Milton Keynes linear parks, with new entries including the community garden at London’s Tate Modern and the grounds of the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich.

Photo: Buchan Country Park in Crawley