Businesses in Camber are suffering severe losses as a result of the negative effects of the pollution on the beach, representatives of Southern Water were told at the Camber Parish Council meeting on Tuesday 20 January.
Simon Fluendy, from Southern Water stakeholder engagement, and Ben Jones, of Southern Water operations team, were invited to update the community on the bio-bead spill and the progress being made by the company in their clean-up, and to answer questions put by concerned residents and businesses.
Members of the audience explained that there has been a marked reduction in visitors to Camber put off by the news coverage on the spill, a lack of clarity about the possible toxicity of the beads and by posters on the beaches warning walkers to keep dogs on leads. This has hit hospitality hard, they said, with pubs, cafes, bars, restaurants and holiday lets reporting they are experiencing fewer bookings and customers.
Pete Povey from the Camber Castle pub says takings are down £16,500 since the start of November. “I’ll be gone in three months if nothing is done now. People see the pollution warnings and turn right round.”
The company’s representatives acknowledged how the lack of clarity on the bead safety was a worry for many and said Southern Water hoped to release its own toxicology research during February.
Southern Water were asked what measures the company were going to take to compensate businesses and to repair the reputational damage to the area caused by the pollution.
Councillor John Bradford asked if Southern Water would put financial measures in place for this. “The £400,000 goodwill gesture to Hastings and St Leonards was for businesses, local events and festivals. Will Southern Water give an urgent and significant sum, allocated to businesses which report serious losses and to community groups who can work with business owners to promote Camber Sands nationally? To attract back holidaymakers, tourist and visitors ‘scared away’ by the negative publicity. This would include monies to brighten up the village with colourful signage and other street and building attractions. The businesses have already chosen ‘#lovecambersands’ as the theme. Bad news travels faster than good news and this needs to be reversed.”
Although lacking financial details, both Simon Fluendy and Ben Jones confirmed to the meeting how the company, working with local councils, is committed to helping the people of Camber to recover from the disaster and is looking into compensation and ways to rebuild the reputation of Camber as a tourist destination.
In response to the situation, a group has been formed, Love Local, Use Local – Promoting Camber Sands Businesses to raise awareness of the effect of the spill on the community of Camber. You can find more information on this campaign in this week’s Rye News here.
Image Credits: Kt bruce , Juliet Duff .