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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, 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 commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers 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 worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.