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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and die.

A local official believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable 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 witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals 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 attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there 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 looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, 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, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities 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 dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"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 environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

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