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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, 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 explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the pellets, 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 plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, 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 local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to investigate the source of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.