Pellets wash up at nature reserve and Dungeness beach

Southern Water said it had "committed to an independent investigation"

Plastic beads found washed up on an East Sussex beach at the weekend have now also been discovered at a nearby nature reserve and on the Kent coast, it has been claimed.

Southern Water apologised after millions of pellets washed up at Camber Sands due to an issue at its Eastbourne wastewater site. The company is funding the clean-up operation and said it had "committed to an independent investigation".

It has since been reported that pellets have also been discovered at Rye Harbour Nature Reserve in East Sussex and in Dungeness, Kent.

Hastings and Rye MP Helena Dollimore said it was "devastating" that the beads had been discovered at the nature reserve.

Dominic Manning, trustee of non-profit organisation Strandliners which has been involved in the clean-up, told BBC Radio Sussex: "We already now know that there are beads within Rye Harbour Nature Reserve and in Dungeness, so this is far reaching."

This information was reportedly shared at the public meeting held on Thursday by the Environment Agency, which has been contacted for comment.

Sussex Wildlife, which runs Rye Harbour Nature Reserve, said it had discovered "bio-bead pollution in the saltmarsh".

"This incident could have a devastating impact on the fragile saltmarsh habitat and its wildlife," they said.

"The clean-up of this sensitive habitat will be complicated and needs to be carefully planned.

"We need to fully understand the extent to which the pollution has affected the reserve."

Ms Dollimore, who chaired the public meeting, said: "I have asked government officials to undertake a full veterinary analysis of the potential harm to our local wildlife.

"Southern Water has made a commitment to fund a programme of nature restoration in our beautiful area, and I will hold them to that promise."

A spokesperson for Southern Water said the company was "so sorry".

"We now know that substantially fewer beads - less than 10 tonnes - entered the sea, compared to our initial estimates," added the spokesperson.

"We are monitoring continuously to understand the ongoing impact."

Rother District Council has warned that pellets could continue washing up on Camber Sands "for the next year or even longer".