Cleanup operations are continuing at a protected coastal site where tiny plastic pellets have been discovered.
Teams have returned to Rye Harbour Nature Reserve to extract bio-beads that entered the environment following equipment malfunction at Southern Water’s Eastbourne sewage treatment works in November 2025.
Large amounts of these pellets reached the sea and subsequently washed up at the nature reserve, spreading across roughly two miles of the Sussex coast.
During an interview with Sussex Wildlife Trust, Josh Beech, founder of the environmental group Nurdle, explained that his non-profit traverses the United Kingdom removing microplastics from natural settings.
The organisation decided to assist with clearing the bio-beads from the reserve primarily due to its prior experience.
The team has previously tackled plastic pellet removal at SSSI and Ramsar designated sites, so once permission was granted for a trial run, they were assured of success.
Mr Beech advised that environmental considerations delayed their commencement date.
He said they needed to complete multiple assessments to confirm that their activities would not cause damage to the reserve.
Only after demonstrating that extracting the plastic would not affect the sensitive ecosystem did they obtain clearance to proceed with the cleanup.
The volume of bio-beads present at the reserve is considerably lower than the quantities found at Camber Sands.
Despite the smaller concentrations at Rye Harbour, Mr Beech stressed that the main concern centres on the long-term health of the nature reserve.
He noted that what matters most is ensuring the habitat remains viable for birds to inhabit and feed in for generations, rather than focusing on current quantities or immediate impacts on bird populations.
Nurdle’s teams are also removing other plastic debris as they work.
Common items gathered include fishing line, bottle caps and packaging, all of which could eventually break down into harmful microplastics.
The highest concentrations of bio-beads have been identified near the inlet sluice area, though the information currently under analysis will offer a fuller picture of contamination across the site.
Helena Dollimore MP raised the matter of plastic bead pollution with the Prime Minister, with her bin the beads initiative gathering 5,000 signatures.
Southern Water has committed to improving containment infrastructure at its Eastbourne facility following the incident.
The company is carrying out ongoing work at the Eastbourne water treatment plant to install more robust and dependable containment measures for the bio-beads.
This includes mechanical improvements to screening systems, comprehensive operational procedures, and AI-powered cameras to identify any unusual movement of bio-beads within the system at an early stage.
Southern Water is financing the fitting of a permanent sluice gate for the Wildlife Trust to prevent pellets from reaching the reserve again after any future discharge.
A petition demanding a prohibition on bio-beads in water treatment, launched jointly by Sussex Wildlife Trust and Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore, has obtained more than 10,000 signatures.