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

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless 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 polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source 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 dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.