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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is vast, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. 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 keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water 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 aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery 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 the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for a statement.