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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a environmental organization commented 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 sea; they will draw in microorganisms, 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 diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. 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 contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

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

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.