Ribble cocklers: Mark Menzies MP fears fatal accident

Ribble cocklers: Mark Menzies MP fears fatal accident

www.bbc.co.uk

An MP says he fears a repeat of the Morecambe Bay cockling tragedy after the 14th cockler rescue in the Ribble Estuary since early September.

Two helicopters, four lifeboats and two coastguard crews had to rescue three boats on Monday.

Mark Menzies, MP for Fylde, said: "We are at crisis point, every few days people are having to be rescued."

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cockles are a type of shell fish - harvested from tidal mudflats and estruries - usually by raking , either by hand by teams , or using equipment towed by a small boat

the problem is that most cockle fisheries have little / zero regulation - and with a harvest worth £1200 / ton [ 1000 kg ] it is a lucrative bussiness

in 2004 19 chinese illegal immigrants were killed in morcambe bay , and at the time - refprm of the industry was promised by every govt agency and regulatroy organisation

however 7 years on - events just 25 milese away , in the ribble estury - a string of rescures has highlighted that the industry is still out of control - with regulkatory oversight lax or easily avoided and ignore

no one has dies in the riibble estry cockle beds - but thats down to luck and the efforts of the rescue services - the RNLI , the RN / RAF rescue helicopters and the coastguard

in short a disaster waiting to happen

do more need to die before the industry is policed , or ploices itself ?

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My mother was one of the coastguard that was pulling those bodies out of Morecambe Bay that night. So this is close to my heart. Lived in Morecambe most of my life and its pretty common knowledge that Chinese gangs were running the show with these cocklers. They were neglected by their employers because they were considered disposable.

I would hate to see this happen again, but I expect its a fairly common story around the world.

Ilegal imigrants my foot. They were plain and simple slaves. I have no doubt this group descibed in the OP are the same.

Cockles are lucrative? How many of these make a ton? Lucrative to the slave bosses only.

Why are these 'employers' not being visited by the health and safety inspectors? Police? Why are they not being charged by the rescue team that risk their lives to pull the workers away from danger.

The reasons are no one wants to answer the questions. Slavery is alive and well in the UK.