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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

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

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. 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 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 removal work, stated, "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 beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.