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The water company is currently investigating after millions of contaminated plastic beads appeared on Camber Sands beach, raising worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with concerns that protected marine species, such as coastal birds, porpoises, and seals, might ingest them and perish.

A local official believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

Camber Sands, situated in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and vast stretches of fine grains.

Local helpers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the contamination event is immense, and it is unlikely they will be able to clear every piece.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This is the worst pollution event I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"After ingestion, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which draws in plunging seabirds."

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

"They are so small that from a very long way off, the shoreline appears unaffected. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an impossible task – volunteers 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 removal work, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have appeared on this shore threatens an environmental catastrophe. These plastic items are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members 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 origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

The beads are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they frequently include harmful substances including lead, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the cause of plastic beads which have washed up on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

"The district council is overseeing removal of the beach, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the beads. We are additionally assisting with the removal process."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the regulatory body."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.