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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

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

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "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 draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach 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 raking for days, 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 polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment 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 environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.