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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

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

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, 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 plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

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

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. 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 countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.