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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 fears of a possible "environmental catastrophe".

The plastic pellets could cause severe harm on marine life, according to a regional representative, with concerns that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might ingest them and perish.

The area's representative suspects the beads may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, requesting an explanation.

This coastal area, situated in the southeastern region, is one of England’s most beloved beaches, known for rare dune habitat and vast stretches of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to remove the beads, collecting dozens of bags with the plastic waste, but the extent of the contamination event is vast, and it is unlikely they will be able to remove all of them.

A representative from a plastic pollution campaign group commented over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is contaminated plastic. Sea creatures will consume small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will smell like food, in essence."

"After ingestion, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will form a layer which attracts diving coastal birds."

He added that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Yesterday, I was on site cleaning it up. We are trying to really piece together the sequence of events and the details for this horrendous event. It’s awful."

"The pellets are minuscule that from a very long way off, the shoreline looks normal. But as soon as you approach closely, you see there are millions dark beads, hidden among marine plants. It’s an unachievable mission – volunteers have been working tirelessly, and they will continue to rake, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever encountered of a polluted beach."

The local MP, who participated in the clean-up efforts, stated, "The immense quantity of polymer pellets that have washed up here risks an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are observing increased mortality among marine species on the coast."

"Community members are working tirelessly to remove as many pellets as possible, but it’s a urgent effort. The water company must quickly determine if their local wastewater plants could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve asked them to dedicate all available resources to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to dogs as they hold a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they frequently include harmful substances including heavy metals, antimony, and bromine.

An official representative for the water company stated, "We are collaborating with the Environment Agency and district authorities to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on the shoreline. The inquiry is still in progress."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the beach, using specialists with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed water-quality sampling on the beach, which has shown no impact to environmental water quality. These results has been shared with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

The Environment Agency has been contacted for comment.