🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released 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, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.