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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and die.

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

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

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

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 tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, 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 impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to investigate the source of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.