Windsurfer Sarah Jackson says English coast is like ‘surfing in a sewer’

Windsurfer Sarah Jackson says she's been forced to relocate to Spain for training

A top UK windsurfer has described training in waters in the south of England as "surfing in a sewer".

Sarah Jackson, ranked second in the world, says she's been forced to relocate to Spain because of the condition of the water off the south coast.

Jackson, who is a windsurfing world championship silver medallist, said her move is because of poor water quality at Hayling Island - a popular place for windsurfers in Hampshire.

"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."

Water companies are allowed to release sewage into waterways to prevent flooding of homes during periods of heavy rain or storms.

Last year higher-than-normal quantities of unsafe bacteria were found in water off the north coast of Hayling Island.

On the government and council websites, it states that Hayling Island's bathing waters have a water quality rating of "excellent".

Newsround has contacted the local council, Havant Borough Council for a response to this story.

Hayling Island near Portsmouth is popular for kitesurfing and windsurfing

Toby Willison, Southern Water's Director of Quality and Environment, said efforts are being made to tackle the release of sewage during storms, "while continuing to protect people's homes from flooding".

Continuing, he said that sewage isn't only to blame and that "a wide range of pollutions" have an impact on water quality - things like contaminated rainwater running off roads and farm land as well as waste from animals such as dogs on beaches.

Sarah Jackson, who is also an ocean ambassador for the Marine Conservation Society, a UK-based charity that wants to protect UK and global waters, says: "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."