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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems 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 immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume 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, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. 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 very long way off, the shoreline 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 – 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 most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing 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 race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include toxins including heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.