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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale 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 seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, 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 terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.