On Wednesday 29 October 2025, up to 10 tonnes of plastic beads which are used in wastewater treatment, escaped from the Eastbourne Treatment Works and entered the sea via a 3.4km long outfall pipe. The release resulted from the failure of a metal screening filter that is designed to retain all beads in the tank.
As beads began to be washed up on Camber Sands during the week of 3 November, attracting public attention and triggering the start of significant clean-up operations, there were initial suggestions that the beads might have come from shipping. However, Southern Water had sufficient evidence to confirm on the morning of Monday 9 November that it was highly likely the beads had come from our wastewater site.
Adler and Allan have been involved throughout with a varying level of manpower but around 50 have been conducting shoreline SCAT and collecting beads as they are observed on beaches. The spread of bio-beads spread across East Sussex and East Kent. There are surges in activity after stormy weather (a lot of that recently) and in spring tides.
Bio-bead (black), lentil like plastic nurdles, other plastic debris
This incident was followed on 6 December by the loss of 16 refrigerated containers from the MV Baltic Klipper that was manoeuvring in rough seas with a significant swell and strong south-westerly winds 3 miles East of the Isle of Wight. Thirteen of the shipping containers washed ashore on the south coast at Selsey, Bognor Regis and Pagham Harbour, which resulted in foodstuffs, particularly bananas and plastic insulation being deposited on the beach. Three shipping containers remain unaccounted for, and a clean-up operation is underway with Ambipar Response deploying up to 65 responders.
MV Baltic Kipper fallen container stack that did not go overboard
Ambipar beach cleaning – a rare pleasant day!
In between Briggs Marine have been deployed to assist the MCA in support to A+A and to the West Sussex council in beach clean and container removal.
During Storm Goretti on 8 January 24 further containers were lost from two vessels; 17 from a vessel close to Nab Tower to the East of the Isle of Wight and on the same night seven empty containers were lost from a vessel just south of St Catherine’s Point in the main west going shipping lane. The empty containers are mostly believed to have sunk; the loaded ones contained refrigerated food stuffs; carrots, onions and many bags of frozen chips and packages of face masks. Again, Ambipar Response are engaged in beach clean up and removal of the containers from the beaches and the management of the waste. In all there are around 100 responders dedicated to this.
Chips, carrots and onions – anyone for supper!
The spread of foodstuff have extended from Selsey Bill eastwards to East Sussex.