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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, porpoises, and seals, 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 water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale 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 over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away 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 pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins including lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.