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

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, 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 environmental organization remarked 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 attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

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

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets 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 requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. 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 extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.