'Surfing in a sewer': British pro windsurfer heading to Tenerife over polluted UK seas

A champion windsurfer is leaving UK shores for Tenerife after describing training as “surfing in a sewer” due to the amount of sewage being pumped into waterways.

Sarah Jackson, 24, describes herself as an ocean advocate and wants to use her voice for good as she windsurfs her way to becoming a world champion in the sport.

Aside from racking up world championship silver medals and being ranked second in the world in her slalom discipline, Ms Jackson is an athlete on an ethical mission: to wage the war against single-use plastics and sewage pollution destroying the world’s oceans.

But she has found herself leaving her home county of Cheshire to relocate to the Spanish Canary island of Tenerife over the pollution problem at Hayling Island, a windsurfing hotspot in Hampshire.

Travel restrictions during the COVID pandemic forced her to train in the UK, but she soon discovered that she was often faced with sewage pollution due to the releasing of a deluge of raw sewage into the sea, which is often made worse during periods of heavy rainfall.

Ms Jackson, from Knutsford, said: “This being Britain, where rainfall is very high. And because I have to train in all weathers, there were some days when I was basically surfing in a sewer.

“That’s not just unpleasant, it’s actually health threatening – but it’s opened my eyes to the problem of pollution in our waterways – not just from sewage but from chemicals and plastics, too.”

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She has now become an ocean ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society, a UK-based charity that calls for initiatives to protect UK and global waters from overfishing, as well as protecting and restoring marine life and limiting pollutants – such as sewage and plastics.

“Because I spend so much time on the water – not just in the UK but around the world – I see at very close quarters the damage the human race is inflicting on the marine environment,” Ms Jackson said, “and that’s why I’m supporting the Marine Conservation Society.”

Nicola Greaves, head of marketing at the Marine Conservation Society, said: “We’re so pleased to have Sarah join our Ocean Ambassador team.

“Untreated sewage is being pumped into our seas for hundreds of thousands of hours each year, putting people, planet and wildlife at risk.

“Sarah sees first-hand the problems that our seas face, and we’re grateful for her raising her awareness of our mission for cleaner, better-protected, healthier seas for everyone to enjoy.”

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