Published 06:25 IST, January 27th 2023
British windsurfer quits training in UK due to water pollution: ‘surfing in a sewer’
UK: One of the world’s leading windsurfers, Sarah Jackson, has quit the English south coast for Spain due to unhealthy water conditions.
One of the world’s leading windsurfers, Sarah Jackson, has quit the English south coast for Spain due to unhealthy water conditions.
Sharah was forced to relocate to Tenerife as she wanted to continue her training and the badly polluted water near Hayling Island, which she described as being equal to "surfing in a sewer," posed a serious threat to her health, The Guardian reported.
Notably, the water quality has worsened over the years due to the high amount of sewage being pumped into it.
England's polluted water forces windsurfer to relocate to Spain
The 24-year-old surfer who has won two world championship silver medals said training near Hayling Island was unpleasant for her and "health-threatening." "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," Jackson said. "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."
It is important to mention that the water around Hayling Island has become a matter of serious concern for locals. According to data from Southern Water, it was found untreated sewage was pumped into the nearby Langstone and Chichester harbours in 2021 for more than 100 days, which further worsened the water condition. However, the release of sewage into waterways is allowed, as the law permits the water companies to pump out the waste only to prevent flooding of homes after storms. But it has badly polluted the water, and now the situation is such that not a single water body in England is in good ecological health.
One of the most celebrated windsurfers, Sarah has also become an ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society, a charity that aims to reduce ocean pollution by 2030. She said that because of her long hours of training on the water, she has observed that the human race is inflicting massive damage on the marine environment. "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," Jackson told The Guardian.
Image: Insta/@Sarah_jackson
Updated 07:42 IST, January 27th 2023