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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, 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 remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there 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 a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.