Vigil to be held on 20th anniversary of Morecambe Bay cockle picking disaster

A vigil is to be held later, remembering the victims of the Morecambe Bay cockle picking disaster.

23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned on 5 February 2004, after being cut off by an incoming tide.

The group was cockle picking close to the low tide line near the confluence of the Keer Channel and the Kent Channel, approximately 3.5 kilometres north of Morecambe centre.

Fifteen of the group returned safely to shore but, despite an extensive search and rescue operation, 23 others drowned.

A civic service of vigil and remembrance is taking place tonight, next to the RNLI station. It will be led by the Bishop of Blackburn, the Rt Rev. Philip North, and the Rector of Morecambe Parish Church, Rev. Chris Krawiec.

Bishop Philip said today: “This will be a solemn moment for the community in Morecambe as we join together to remember the innocent lives lost to greed and slavery in the waters of Morecambe Bay.

“We mourn with and pray for the families and loved ones of our Chinese brothers and sisters who died 20 years ago and for an end to the curse of modern slavery.”

Meanwhile, a trade union is warning that dangerous exploitation of vulnerable workers is still rife decades after the Morecambe Bay cockling disaster.

Unite says the Gangmasters Licensing Authority, set up in the wake of the disaster 20 years ago today, in which 21 people drowned, needs to be reformed.

It became the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) in 2017 but needs more funds, said the union.

Since the disaster, insecure employment practices, including zero-hour contracts, bogus self-employment and gig economy work have become increasingly normalised, said Unite.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: "It is now 20 years since the Morecambe Bay disaster and the dangerous exploitation of vulnerable workers is still rife.

"Unions have always been at the forefront of defending workers and Unite's predecessor union - the T&G - successfully fought for the establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to prevent such tragedies happening again."