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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might consume them and die.

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

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

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

These pellets are also dangerous to canines 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, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.