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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on the shoreline at Camber, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as seabirds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the top official, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring rare dune habitat and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items 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 cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the removal work have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an unachievable mission – 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 encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who joined the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to clear away as many pellets 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 biobeads, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a significant amount of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted 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 Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.