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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and die.

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

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.