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The water company is currently investigating after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

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

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident 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 appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.