🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks 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.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been raking for days, 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 joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.