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

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

A local official suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, effectively."

"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 clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many beads 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 pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.