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The water company is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

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

Camber Sands, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.