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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official suspects the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items 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 plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"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 millions 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 polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"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."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.