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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source 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 PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.