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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

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

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – 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 elected official, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include toxins including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.