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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "ecological disaster".

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

A local official suspects the pellets may have been released from a local filtration facility and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, filling multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the timeline and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions 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 contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, stated, "The huge number of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins including lead, antimony, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and district authorities to investigate the source of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

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

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.