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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might consume them and die.

A local official believes the beads may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

Camber Sands, situated in East Sussex, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert 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 ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which draws in diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – helpers 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 worst I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who joined the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to remove as many beads 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 supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for Southern Water stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are also supporting with the removal process."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.