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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"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 black pellets, hidden among marine plants. 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 worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish 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 interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include toxins including lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel 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 district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.