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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the beads may have been released 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 East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a environmental organization commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

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

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together 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 appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents 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 biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.