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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – 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 elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore 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."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.