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Southern Water is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, according to a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might consume them and perish.

A local official suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an account.

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. Southern Water must urgently establish if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"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 reached out to for a statement.