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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

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

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals 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, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. 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 black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, 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 participated in the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity 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 beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery 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. This data has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for a statement.