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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers 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 remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site 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 approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, 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 clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove 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 biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

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

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.