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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after millions 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 ocean creatures, according to a local MP, with concerns that rare sea life, including seabirds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

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

This coastal area, situated in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags 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.

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. Marine animals will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Recently, I was on site removing the debris. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers have been working tirelessly, 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 seen of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore risks an ecological disaster. 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 laboring diligently to remove as many pellets 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 aiding the removal efforts in the meantime."

These pellets are also dangerous to dogs as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain toxins including heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and district authorities to look into the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a specialized machinery to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for a statement.