Aberavon Beach

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Aberavon Beach is three-mile (5 km) stretch of sandy beach located on the north-eastern edge of Swansea Bay in Sandfields, Port Talbot, Wales. With its high breaker waves, it is popular with surfers. There was once a fairground next to the beach. In the late 20th Century, the resort became run down. Aberavon Beach was awarded Blue Flag status in December 2007 and features in the Good Beach Guide published by the Marine Conservation Society.^[1]

A disturbing feature shared with beaches in Gower, is the drop in sand levels over the last 30 or so years.^{[citation needed]} This is popularly attributed to dredging in the Bristol Channel. Parts of the beach are now developing pools at low tide - unheard of a generation ago. The discharge of oil by ships visiting Port Talbot still goes on as it has for living memory. The oil slicks, however are generally only evident at low tide.

In its heyday in the late 60s and early 70s Aberavon Beach was popular with visitors from the South Wales Valleys.^{[citation needed]} More recently the northern end of the beach has been used by sand yacht enthusiasts and kite surfers. The beach is also a well known area for fishing.

The new millennium saw much regeneration in the area. The land occupied by the fairground has been redeveloped as a modern private housing estate including homes with views across Swansea Bay. The beach front has been re-built to improve its attractiveness, with a piazza, skate park and adventure playground. A new six-screen Apollo Cinema was opened near the sea front in 1998, next to the Afan Lido. A Burger King restaurant opened nearby in September 2007. Despite initial success the business folded within days before being re-opened as a lesser-known 'Burger Star'. Now a third franchise, 'Burger Knight', operates the restaurant.^[2] Construction work on a planned bowling alley also ceased in September 2007 after the operator, Bowling International UK, went into administration.^[3]