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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

A local official suspects the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the top official, 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.

Volunteers have been working urgently to clear the beads, collecting multiple sacks with the plastic waste, but the scale of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group remarked recently, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. 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 very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been raking for days, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a contaminated shoreline."

The local MP, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The huge number of polymer pellets that have washed up here threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing more dead seals, fish and porpoises on the coast."

"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 biobeads, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, metalloids, and chemical elements.

An official representative for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"Local officials is overseeing removal of the shore, using specialists with a specialized machinery to remove the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.