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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and die.

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

This coastal area, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. 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 on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, 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 comment.