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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include toxins such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.