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The water company 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 cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, 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 pellets, filling dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, 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 removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.