🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might consume them and perish.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.