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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

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

A local official suspects the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, 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.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.