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The water company is conducting an inquiry after millions of contaminated plastic beads were found on Camber Sands beach, raising fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

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

A local official believes the pellets may have been spilled from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, requesting an account.

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

Local helpers have been racing against time to clear the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the extent of the pollution spill is immense, and it is improbable they will be able to remove all of them.

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. Marine animals will consume tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will draw in microorganisms, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will create a slick which draws in 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 details for this horrendous event. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are countless black pellets, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – helpers 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 elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have washed up here risks an environmental catastrophe. These biobeads are deadly to ocean and land animals, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Local residents are laboring diligently to clear away as many beads as possible, but it’s a race against time. The water company 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 additionally hazardous to dogs as they contain a high number of PAHs, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances including lead, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company said, "We are working closely with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a specialized machinery to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the clean-up."

"We’ve conducted water-quality sampling on the coast, which has shown no impact to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been reached out to for comment.