🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might consume them and perish.

The area's representative suspects 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, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the pellets, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the pollution spill is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. 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 dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, 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 polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, 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. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.