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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, located in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"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 removal work 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 very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. 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 continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source 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 hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.