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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 "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the top official, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"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, hidden among marine plants. 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 elected official, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing 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 urgent effort. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery 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. These results has been shared with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for a statement.