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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless 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 cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing 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 race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.