Hirst surfboards go under hammer

Damien Hirst's board designs echo the Californian surf scene

Unique surfboards painted by artist Damien Hirst will sell for thousands of pounds when they go under the hammer in Cornwall next week.

The pair of 9 ft 1 in longboards have already received bids of over £2,500 each from Internet hopefuls ahead of the live auction in Newquay on 16 August.

They are part of an 11-strong collection of boards painted by artists to raise funds for the campaign group Surfers Against Sewage.

The board designs of Mr Hirst - who lives in north Devon - echo the style of the Californian surf scene of the late 60s and early 70s.

The artist, whose wife Maia Norman is a keen surfer, said: "It's important we have someone to fight our corner and lobby for cleaner water as otherwise, between big business and pansy politicians, surfing would be a health hazard."

Jamie Hewlett's design is among 11 in the collection

The Turner Prize winner is best known for displaying dead animals in tanks of formaldehyde.

The painted boards are currently on show at the Eden Project, near St Austell, as part of the Longlife exhibition sponsored by sportswear label Oxbow.

Exhibition spokeswoman Nadia Kokni said the boards, made by manufacturers Beachbeat in St Agnes, Cornwall, were ready to hit the waves.

"If someone wanted to buy a board to use in the surf rather than as a piece of art they would be perfectly functional.

"They are water-ready with holes for leashes," she said.

Graffiti artist

The Longlife exhibition moves on 11 August to the Bark House Gallery, Newquay, where the boards will be auctioned.

The other boards on show were painted by graffiti artist Banksy; Jamie Hewlett of Gorillaz; surfer Laird Hamilton; Paul Kaye, aka Dennis Pennis; artist Daniel P Carter; graphic designer David Carson; musician Richard D James; Andy Hughes of Surfers Against Sewage and Mickey Boy G of Adrenalin Magazine.

Surfers Against Sewage has around 8,000 supporters. The group campaigns for cleaner waters around the UK.

Spokesman Richard Hardy said: "We have got so many issues now affecting water usage.

"It is not just about surfers and not just about sewage.

"Every year there are more and more dangers to the marine environment which is our playground."