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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest 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 a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this horrendous event. 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 impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"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 also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.