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Southern Water is currently investigating after a vast number of polluted polymer pellets were found on Camber Sands beach, sparking fears of a possible "ecological disaster".

The plastic pellets could have a dire impact on ocean creatures, according to a regional representative, with concerns that rare sea life, such as coastal birds, small cetaceans, and seals, might ingest them and die.

The area's representative believes the pellets may have been spilled from a nearby water treatment centre and has sent a letter to the water company's chief executive, demanding an account.

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

Volunteers have been working urgently to remove the beads, collecting multiple sacks 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 environmental organization remarked over the weekend, "This represents the most severe contamination incident I have ever witnessed. It is polluted polymer. Sea creatures will ingest small plastic items once they are in the ocean; they will attract algae, they will appear edible, effectively."

"Once they’ve eaten it, there's no turning back: they cannot expel it. They will remain buoyant. It will form a layer which attracts plunging seabirds."

He added that the removal work have been exhausting. "Recently, I was out there 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 a distance, the shoreline looks normal. 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 keep at it, but we cannot remove every pellet. It is the most severe I have ever seen of a polluted beach."

The elected official, who participated in the removal work, remarked, "The immense quantity of plastic beads that have appeared on this shore threatens an ecological disaster. These plastic items are deadly to marine life and wildlife, and we are already seeing increased mortality among marine species on the beach."

"Community members are laboring diligently to remove as many beads 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 pellets, and I’ve asked them to commit every possible asset to aiding the removal efforts in the interim."

These pellets are additionally hazardous to canines as they contain a high number of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are known to have cancer-causing traits, and they often contain toxins such as heavy metals, metalloids, and chemical elements.

A spokesperson for the water company stated, "We are working closely with the regulatory body and local council to look into the cause of polymer pellets which have washed up on Camber Beach. The inquiry is ongoing."

"The district council is leading the clean-up of the shore, using trained personnel with a vehicle with suction equipment to extract the pellets. We are also supporting with the clean-up."

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

The Environment Agency has been contacted for a statement.