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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

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

A local official believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. 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 worst I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery 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 environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.