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The water company is currently investigating after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a potential "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads 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 ingest them and perish.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of golden sand.

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

An expert from a environmental organization remarked recently, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, effectively."

"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 attracts plunging seabirds."

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

"The pellets are minuscule that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, and they will keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the worst I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who joined the clean-up efforts, 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 already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away 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 source of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include toxins such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"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 have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been reached out to for a statement.