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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked recently, "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 ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

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

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, 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 elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities 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 PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.