The win at Mundaka, in Northern Spain, means the Amble-based contender is now on course for the World Cup this autumn.

Competing in the Women's High Performance class on the first day, Tamsin achieved the fifth highest wave score of any competitor, including the senior men.

And in the finals, she beat all the winning Basque Women's World Championship team.

"The quality of the competition was very high," said Tamsin, 33. "The waves, at four to five feet, were good but hard to surf. It was a challenge, because of the speed at which they broke.

"It was great to find some sunshine at last after a cold winter training in the North East."

The competition attracted many entries including former world champions Darren Bason, Jonny Bingham and Chris Harvey, all from the UK.

Husband Dan also qualified for the World Cup, finishing seventh in the Men's High Performance class and third Briton overall.