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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing 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. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

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

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.