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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

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

The area's representative suspects the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove 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 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 polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

The expert continued 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 awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst 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 ecological disaster. 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 clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must urgently establish if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.