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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, 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 water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

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

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items 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 create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – helpers 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 most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins 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 investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.