🔗 Share this article

The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, including seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

This coastal area, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable 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 consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for a statement.