BOURNEMOUTH'S beaches could lose awards and fall below health and safety standards unless an extra £68,000 is spent on them next year.

The warning comes as councillors examine the town's leisure budget in a bid to keep down council tax.

A report says: "The current budget does not meet the full cost of waste disposal to the standard required for national awards and health and

safety."

It warns any further spending cuts would have a "critical effect".

Councillors recently voted to cut beach cleaning in response to a budget crisis this year. But the council was left struggling to cope with the rubbish left during the recent heatwave and the cuts were restored.

Mark Smith, head of tourism and seafront services for Bournemouth Borough Council, said the authority would maintain standards during this year's judging for the Blue Flag awards and Seaside awards.

"For next year's budget we'll have to look at it all over again. The base budget line that's in there for next year is not adequate to do the job," he said

"If that wasn't put back in, a decision would have to be made as to whether all the resources were going to be concentrated on the award-winning beaches and other ones would then get left, or whether it was going to be an even approach to all beaches, in which case there's a chance that the awards would not be reached."

Cllr Adrian Fudge, the council's cabinet member for quality services and value for money, said the standards for winning awards kept being raised.

He added: "What do you do when every time they alter the goal posts and to get their particular award means spending more money? There comes a stage where you've got to maintain them to the best level you can but it might not be up to award standards.

"Everyone will try and win lots of things like Blue Flags but every single option has got a bottom line cost. The town can have anything it wants as long as we're prepared to pay for it but the general council tax payer does not want to see their council tax going up and up."

Officers would be asked to look again at finding efficiency savings which would avoid the need to cut services or put up council tax.