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

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the pellets, 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 clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story for this horrendous event. 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 countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly 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 biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

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

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.