One in 10 British children has never been to a UK beach and 31% object to donkey rides believing they are "cruel", new research showed today.

A fifth of British youngsters had their first seaside holiday abroad and, despite Britain being surrounded by water, 3% of children have never been to the seaside at all.

Today's younger beach-goers are also concerned about environmental and ethical issues. Nearly two thirds (61%) claimed clean seawater and no litter were the most important things when choosing a beach. Although 16% said they would happily go on a donkey ride, a third objected to the activity because they thought it was "cruel". The survey questioned 1,246 children aged eight to 14.

The survey, commissioned by children's TV channel Toonami, found that children prefer to be active on holiday. Nearly two thirds (61%) said their ideal day at the beach would be spent building sandcastles, while 55% said they would go surfing or snorkelling, and 53% said they would go rock pooling.

When asked who they would most like to be stranded on a desert island with, friends topped the list at 49%, with parents second at 25% and celebrities third with 15%. Johnny Depp, Wayne Rooney and Jordan were voted the top celebrity choices. Some 58% of children agreed they would least like to be marooned with their schoolteachers.

Those questioned also had similar ideas on what makes for an ideal beach. A whopping 78% said there must be unlimited ice cream, 56% opted for giant water slides and 48% requested a wave machine.