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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, raising worries of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, 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, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

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

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces 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 can’t get it out. 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 draining. "Yesterday, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. 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 keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must urgently establish 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 dogs as they hold a high number of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on Camber Beach. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, 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 environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.