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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks 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 plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. 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, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal 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. 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 supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal 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 shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.