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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions of polluted polymer pellets appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a potential "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might consume them and perish.

A local official suspects the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and expansive areas of golden sand.

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 remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, effectively."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the story for this devastating incident. It’s awful."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – 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 joined the removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These plastic items are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine 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 interim."

The beads are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted environmental testing on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for comment.