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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"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 millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – 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 seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads 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 asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.