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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: 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 horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing 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. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.