The BBC programme Countryfile aired an episode dedicated to the Stour Estuary on Sunday evening.
Did you know? �� Essex is one of the driest counties in the UK - the average yearly rainfall is often so low that it’s drier than Barcelona and Cape Town. #Countryfilepic.twitter.com/pQt7csy621— BBC Countryfile (@BBCCountryfile) December 13, 2020
Earlier this year the Suffolk Coasts and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) was extended to the southern shore of the River Stour around Manningtree.
It was the first extension of an AONB in England in the past 30 years.
During Sunday's episode Countryfile presenter Matt Baker said it took campaigners two decades to achieve the beauty title.