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

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the pollution spill is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

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

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.