Adam Vaughan, Environment Editor

Thursday December 18 2025, 5.21pm GMT, The Times

Millions of plastic beads accidentally released from a treatment works near Eastbourne have contaminated beaches from Hastings to Camber Sands

Southern Water has been accused of not fully co-operating with the regulator’s investigation after millions of plastic beads were spilt on popular beaches and rare habitats, The Times understands.

The company responded to a summons for an interview from the Environment Agency, which handles enforcement of waste crime and breaches of water pollution rules, by saying it would be “happy” to attend — but only once it had finished its own investigation.

In response, the Environment Agency (EA) has written a second time to Southern Water explaining that the meeting is not optional.

An agency source said: “This is business as usual. This is what happens with water companies. They will slow down and frustrate in private, all the while in public saying they are working in partnership with the EA. That’s not fully co-operating.”

Millions of tiny plastic biobeads, which tests have found to be contaminated with lead, cadmium and arsenic, have washed up on beaches from Hastings to Camber Sands this month. One of Britain’s last remaining salt marshes, at Rye Harbour, has also been polluted and conservationists say it will take years to clean up. Volunteers have been combing beaches to remove biobeads by hand.

The plastic pellets, which are used to treat sewage, were accidentally released through “failed” mesh screening filter at a Southern Water treatment works in Eastbourne.

On December 3, the EA wrote to Southern Water inviting staff to a voluntary interview under caution. The company’s legal team responded on December 12, saying that while they were “keen to assist” they would do so only once “their internal investigation is complete”.

The regulator subsequently wrote back, asking for a response by December 23 and an interview on February 4. The company will attend that interview. A Southern Water spokesman said: “We’re complying fully with the Environment Agency investigation, and can confirm we’ll be attending the interview under caution that’s been requested.”

Helena Dollimore, the Labour MP for Hastings and Rye, said: “This is a live criminal investigation, and responding to questions or attending interviews when summoned is not optional. I am shocked to hear that Southern Water are not being as co-operative in private as they have committed to be in public, and I will be writing to the chief executive to remind him that no one is above the law.

“This was the largest plastic pollution incident the Sussex coast has ever experienced, and the people I represent will judge Southern Water by actions, not words.”

The firm has apologised for the incident. However, much is still unclear about what the company knew between the pollution release and its public acknowledgement of responsibility on November 10.

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Under transparency laws, The Times has asked the company for any internal emails around the time of the incident and afterwards. Southern Water has twice refused to release them, saying it could prejudice inquiries by regulators.

Jill Crawford, senior environment and planning solicitor at Southern Water, said: “Disclosure at this stage would adversely affect the course of justice due to the real risk of prejudicing the Environment Agency investigation and Southern Water’s ability to conduct its internal investigations and respond to the Environment Agency investigation.”

She did confirm that the episode had led to a “significantly large volume of internal communications that have been generated during the incident response and subsequent internal review work”.