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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, 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, requesting an account.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, 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 clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; 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 diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline 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 working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

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

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.