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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, 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."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers 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 encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away 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 source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset 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 recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

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

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.