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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official suspects the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, 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 seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing 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 urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins such as lead, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.