Police stop gangs of cockle pickers from harvesting shellfish on beach where they aren’t safe to eat and could prove deadly for children
- Police stop groups harvesting cockles from beach that could be fatal for children
- Cockles in the Redcar and Cleveland area are not fit for human consumption
- One family group was even found to be picking the cockles to use in a restaurant
Dozens of people have been stopped from illegally harvesting shellfish from a beach where cockles were unsafe for human consumption.
Police and labour abuse authorities carried out an operation in Redcar near Middlesbrough after intelligence on groups coming to the area for the cockles.
Officers from North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority carried out enforcement work with large gangs of up to 40 people who had been attempting to remove undersized crab and lobster on a commercial scale.
Police and labour abuse authorities carried out an operation in Redcar near Middlesbrough after intelligence on groups coming to the area for the cockles
One family group was even found to be picking cockles to use in a restaurant in the Northumbria Police area.
Cockles found in the Redcar and Cleveland area are not fit for human consumption and eating them could cause severe illness and be potentially fatal for children.
Information will be passed to the Food Standards Agency for further investigation.
David McCandless, chief officer at the North Eastern Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority, said they aimed to protect marine wildlife by ensuring shellfish below the minimum size was not caught.
Inspector Dave Glass from Cleveland Police’s Complex Exploitation Team said the operation tackled both public safety and exploitation of migrants by criminals.
He said: ‘Today we did not make any arrests with regards to exploitation or human trafficking but the visibility of our operation is an important warning that agencies are working together on these issues.
‘By sharing intelligence we have prevented unsafe cockles being served to the unsuspecting public.
‘We’d encourage local people to report any suspicious activity they see on the beach on 101.’
Ian Waterfield, head of enforcement for the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, said the organisation was set up following the Morecambe Bay tragedy in which 23 cockle pickers died in 2004.
He said: ‘Ending exploitation and unsafe practices in gathering shellfish remains a top priority for our organisation, particularly because of the very real threat to life this work carries if it is conducted illegally.
‘We will continue to work with partners to target non-compliance with regulations in this sector, and ensure that vulnerable workers are protected from exploitation.’