Wooden body boards rented to reduce beach pollution

Organisers say the scheme will provide a more sustainable alternative to polystyrene body boards

Wooden body boards are being rented out by a charity in a bid to reduce the amount of polystyrene left on beaches.

Plastic Free North Devon (PFND) has launched a scheme called Protect our Playground to reduce the demand for plastic beach items.

More than 500 polystyrene boards were collected from Croyde Beach in north Devon in 2019.

The wooden boards will be rented from Saunton Surf Hire, with the profits being split between local charities.

Keep Britain Tidy said it estimated more than 14,500 plastic boards would be sent to landfill if two broken boards were discarded each day of the summer on every Devon and Cornwall beach.

PFND member Andy Clee said: "We really have got to start thinking long term about the impact that our lifestyles and choices are having and make some serious changes."

Locals took the boards for a ride at Saunton Sands on Thursday

The sustainable wooden boards are expected to last for "decades", according to big surf waver Andrew Cotton.

He said he hoped the pilot scheme would "change people's perspective" on buying single-use plastic.

Mr Clee added: "It's fantastic to think that something that our grandparents' generation enjoyed can still be enjoyed by their grandchildren.

"Who would have thought that wooden belly boards could become a metaphor for how we should be treating our planet?"

Big surf waver Andrew Cotton (second from left) and Olympic snowboarder Jenny Jones (fourth from right) were among those who showed up in support of the initiative