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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts 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 horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers 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 most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets 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 biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.