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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

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

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

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

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

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

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances including heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.