🔗 Share this article

Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, 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."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment 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 the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.