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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official believes the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

Camber Sands, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the beads, filling 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 clear every piece.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we won’t be able to get rid of them all. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the source of these biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they hold a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel 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 shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.