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Southern Water is conducting an inquiry after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on the shoreline at Camber, sparking worries of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

These biobeads could have a dire impact on marine life, as stated by a local MP, with apprehensions that rare sea life, including coastal birds, small cetaceans, and marine mammals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the beads may have been released from a local filtration facility and has written to the water company's chief executive, demanding an explanation.

This coastal area, located in the southeastern region, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of fine grains.

Local helpers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the synthetic debris, but the scale of the pollution spill is vast, 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 polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest tiny synthetic pieces once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they can’t get it out. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been exhausting. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. 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, nestled under seaweed. 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 most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

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 biobeads are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Local residents are working tirelessly to clear away as many pellets as possible, but it’s a race against time. Southern Water must quickly determine if their nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these biobeads, and I’ve requested to commit every possible asset to supporting the clean-up operation in the interim."

These pellets are also dangerous to canines as they contain a significant amount of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain harmful substances such as lead, metalloids, and bromine.

A spokesperson for Southern Water said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of plastic beads which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is ongoing."

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

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the coast, which has revealed no effect to the aquatic environment. These results has been provided with the district council and the regulatory body."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for a statement.