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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

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

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures 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 can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore 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 coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove 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 origin of these biobeads, 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 canines as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

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

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.