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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 "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled 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, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, 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 contaminated shoreline."

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

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as lead, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to look into the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.