🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, 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 remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: 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 clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. 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 dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, 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 local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances including lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

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

"We have performed environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.