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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might consume 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, demanding an account.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, 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 plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here 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 beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery 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 environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.