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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the pollution spill is immense, 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 witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, nestled under seaweed. 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 seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets 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 dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to canines as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water 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."

"Local officials 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 the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.