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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.