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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and perish.

A local official believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; 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 removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, 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 polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.