🔗 Share this article

The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes 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, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; 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 float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

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

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, 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 seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.