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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and die.

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

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. 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 most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities 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 hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, 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.