🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on the shoreline at Camber, sparking worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill 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 seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. 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 cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are laboring diligently 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 origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

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

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.