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The water company is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could cause severe harm on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, featuring rare dune habitat and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to clear the pellets, filling multiple sacks with the synthetic debris, but the extent of the contamination event is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

An expert from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever seen. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the story for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions black pellets, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – volunteers 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 most severe I have ever encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to ocean and land animals, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the source of these pellets, and I’ve requested to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of PAHs, which are recognized for carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of plastic beads which have been deposited on Camber Beach. This investigation work is still in progress."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.