What are RDC / Southern Water doing to clean up the biobeads?

After biobeads were first discovered on Camber Beach on 04/11/2025, Rother District Council (RDC) commissioned the non-profit organisation Nurdle to conduct a specialised microplastic clean-up. Using vacuum-based equipment, Nurdle spent five days clearing the affected area and removed a significant portion of the biobeads, though not all could be collected.

Following expert advice, Nurdle will return after the next spring tide ( which occur twice every month) on 5 December 2025, when remaining biobeads are likely to be washed further up the beach and easier to recover.

In the meantime, RDC and partners continue clean-up efforts using environmentally sensitive methods. Southern Water has sourced specialist equipment that separates plastics from beach sediment using seawater and the buoyancy of the biobeads. Daily manual collections by RDC officers, Southern Water staff, and volunteers will continue, with material temporarily stored at Central Car Park before processing. Recovered plastics will be returned to Southern Water; cleaned natural sediment will be returned to the beach.

Given the scale of the issue and the likelihood of further deposits, this will be an ongoing operation. Nurdle is expected to return after each spring tide, supported by regular manual collection and processing until the beach returns to baseline conditions.

How can you help?

We are extremely grateful to everyone who has volunteered so far. If you would like to help, for beach & tidal safety reasons all volunteer activity is taking place solely at Camber . Volunteers are welcome 7 days a week and should arrive at Central Car Park, Camber, at 10:00 for a briefing by RDC officers and to collect PPE and equipment.

The Council will notify the public of any changes to these arrangements, including when volunteer support is no longer required, through our usual communication channels.

How and where do you report findings of biobeads?

While monitoring is underway at a number of locations, volunteer activity is not taking place at any site other than Camber, and we are not asking members of the public to visit additional beaches.

If, during your normal activities, you happen to notice biobeads on any beach other than Camber, please report this to the Environment Agency on 0800 80 70 60 (free to call), quoting reference: 2440833.

You can also report findings online at: www.gov.uk/report-water-pollution.