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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

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

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting 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 clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident 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, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer 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 really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

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

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company 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 aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.