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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, 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 written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets 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 biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.