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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, located in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. 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, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "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 beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

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

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.