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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official 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, requesting an explanation.

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

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the story 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 approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been raking for days, and they will keep at it, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.