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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an account.

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

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

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

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, 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 terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, 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 clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

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 toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, 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 comment.