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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, 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 local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

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

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

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

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers 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 worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council 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 shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.