Officials have ruled out designating a popular stretch of coast as a bathing beach amid safety concerns raised by the National Trust, including the presence of a Second World War shipwreck.

Brancaster Parish Council wants to have the village's beach added to the UK's list of designated bathing waters.

If successful, the move would have meant water quality would be regularly tested and the results posted online.

But the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs, which runs the designation scheme, has now responded saying it is is not currently planning any new nominations.

The National Trust, which owns the beach, had previously told the council it had concerns over the move. It cited the lack of lifeguards on the beach, its strong tides and various hazards in the water - including a Second World War shipwreck.

The coaster SS Vina was requisitioned as a naval vessel in 1940 and used for target practise by the RAF, before she sank near the entrance to Brancaster harbour in 1944.

Salvage merchants abandoned attempts to cut up and reclaim the hulk but sections of it survived, until it was covered by sands in recent winters. Just its mast is now visible.

A number of people have been rescued by the RNLI after walking out towards the Vina and becoming cut off by the tide, on what are now known locally as Wreck Sands.

The National Trust said in a statement:  "We’re aware Brancaster Parish Council wants Brancaster Beach to become designated for its bathing water status.

"They are welcome to apply to the Environment Agency, the decision does not rest with the National Trust. As landowner, we would feed into any formal consultation process.

“To be able to do that we would need to fully understand the implications of this designation and take into consideration the wider impact that bathing status brings.

"We’re mindful that Brancaster Beach does not have a lifeguard presence and is a beach that experiences a fast-flowing tidal range, with potential hazards in the water such as the SS Vina shipwreck and wartime relics."

Anyone can apply for a beach or inland water to be designated, but a consultation must be carried out as part of the process.

Guidelines on applying to designate a beach also say the landowner must consent to a bid.