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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, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, requesting an account.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "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 ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, effectively."

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

The expert continued 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 details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, 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 joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members 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 asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.