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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and die.

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

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. 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 countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently 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."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.