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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official suspects the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, 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."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads 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 remove as many pellets 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 pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

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

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.