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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

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 seals, might ingest them and perish.

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

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. 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 exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details 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 get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, 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 encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested 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 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

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

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.