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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 "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with apprehensions that protected marine species, including coastal birds, porpoises, and marine mammals, might consume them and die.

A local official believes the beads may have been released from a nearby water treatment centre and has written to the top official, requesting an account.

This coastal area, located in East Sussex, is a highly popular shoreline, featuring unique sandy ecosystems and expansive areas of golden sand.

Volunteers have been racing against time to clear the pellets, 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 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 polluted polymer. Marine animals will ingest small plastic items once they are in the sea; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, in essence."

"Once they’ve eaten it, that’s it: they cannot expel it. They will float on the surface. It will create a slick which attracts diving coastal birds."

The expert continued that the clean-up efforts have been draining. "Recently, I was out there removing the debris. We are trying to accurately reconstruct the timeline and the details for this devastating incident. It’s terrible."

"They are so small that from a a distance, the beach appears unaffected. But as soon as you get close up, you see there are millions dark beads, nestled under seaweed. It’s an impossible task – 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 encountered of a contaminated shoreline."

The elected official, who participated in the clean-up efforts, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These biobeads are lethal to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species 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 nearby treatment facilities could be the origin of these pellets, and I’ve requested 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 significant amount of PAHs, which are known to have carcinogenic properties, and they often contain harmful substances including lead, antimony, and bromine.

A spokesperson for the water company said, "We are collaborating with the regulatory body and local council to investigate the source of polymer pellets which have been deposited on the shoreline. This investigation work is still in progress."

"Local officials is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to remove the beads. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

"We have performed environmental testing on the beach, which has revealed no effect to environmental water quality. This data has been provided with the local authorities and the Environment Agency."

Regulatory officials has been contacted for comment.