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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

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

A representative from a environmental organization commented 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 sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

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

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. 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 worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many beads 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 interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause 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 shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"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 district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.