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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, sparking worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, such as seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an account.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

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

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. 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 a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, 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 encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.