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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

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

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach 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 – helpers 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 worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited 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 extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.