Camber won’t receive any official tourist promotion until there’s confirmation on the safety of the beach following last year’s bio-bead pollution.
On Monday 23 February, Rother District Council heard work was continuing to clean up the beach after millions of the plastic pellets were washed up on the sands. Beads have also been found at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve following November’s failure at Southern Water’s Eastbourne treatment plant.
Concerns about the detrimental effect of the negative publicity that followed were raised by Eastern Rother councillor, Paul Osborne.
“This has caused a massive issue to Camber-based businesses including accommodation providers and the hospitality sector,” he said. “Are there any plans to get some positive news out to say that Camber is open for business and is safe to visit and can we work with Southern Water to get that message out?”
Councillor Hazel Timpe, portfolio holder for neighbourhood services at RDC, said she shared his concerns about the impact of the pollution. “There is a huge programme of work to ensure the beaches are as clean as possible, as quickly as possible. This work continues at pace but at this moment in time the clear up work is still in progress.”
She said she was fully supportive of Camber businesses. “The issue here is timing and it is important that we do not promote Camber until we are certain that it is safe. As soon as we are assured that the bio hazard to the environment and users of the beach is over, we will work with 1066 Marketing to publicise Camber as the wonderful destination it is.”
Independent reports have shared concerns about the environmental damage the beads could have caused.
At a meeting in Camber in January a representative from Southern Water said he hoped research for the company into the beads’ safety would be published in February.
Southern Water was unable to provide an update on the publication date. A spokesperson said, “Our work to remove the beads is continuing with new machinery and a long term plan in place. We also continue to work closely with Rother DC to ensure people have the information they need when planning visits to Camber Sands.”
Image Credits: Juliet Duff .