Sarah Jackson would like to be able to boast about the beauty of her native land and encourage windsurfers and kitesurfers to come and take advantage of the excellent wind conditions in Hampshire, in the south of England. But she won’t. “I would never push anyone to get into the water given their current state”, she says bitterly. The description, by the champion, of the beaches of Hayling Island, the small island where she had chosen to train, is enough to repel the ardor of the most motivated.
“There’s a beach near my house that we renamed ‘poo beach’ because you can feel the slime seeping between your toes when you step into the water. But since it’s less than 500 meters from the sewage pipe, you know it’s not mud… There’s also more and more toilet paper, sanitary pads in the water. I also saw human excrement floating around me while I was training”, she says. Tired of surfing in a “dump” and to chain infections in the eyes, in the ears and episodes of diarrhea, the windsurfer therefore changed her place of training. “It’s not worth risking my health because any illness has a direct impact on my performance”she points out.
If the waters of the English Channel are so disgusting, it is because of the organization of the sewage treatment system. They are mixed with rainwater in the same pipes. In the event of heavy rain – which often happens in the UK – private companies are permitted to discharge sewage into the sea and nearby rivers. But companies are abusing this temporary permission and are not shy about polluting the sea. Last summer, an English NGO estimated that 90 beaches were impassable due to pollution. “The problem is at a political and governmental level. We need change and sanctions against those responsible for water companies”denounces Sarah Jackson, who is involved in the Marine Conservation Society, an association campaigning for the cleanliness of the seas and oceans.
The polluted beach of Hayling Island in the south of England. (PA Images / Alamy Stock Photo)
For a few weeks, the champion has been surfing in the waters of Tenerife, in the Canary Islands. A choice ” obvious “ as the Spanish island welcomes many boardsports pros. Alas, the water is not necessarily less polluted. “I don’t want to make believe that there is no problem elsewhere and that only English waters are concerned, she warns. The difference is that the subject is better dealt with in certain countries. But we have to talk about it otherwise nothing will ever change. At least in Tenerife, they are building infrastructure to try to deal with the problem and even if it means dragging me to a dump, as long as it is hot”she jokes.