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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident 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 clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, 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 seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads 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 pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.