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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, 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 a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, 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 continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal 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 clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.