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

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

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

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

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent 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 commented over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule 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, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, 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 immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

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 often contain toxins such as lead, metalloids, and bromine.

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

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

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.