Two decades since the 2004 Cockling Disaster in Hest Bank

On February 5, 23 Chinese cockle pickers died when the tide came in while they were working in the dark. The cockle pickers spoke little English, but a rescue operation began when one called the emergency services and said 'sinking water.' 

A spokesperson from Millom Coastguard Rescue Team said: "Today we remember the 23 Chinese Cockle pickers who sadly lost their lives on 5 February 2004. Only 19 cockle pickers made it back to shore, and one remains missing. 

The jury for the cockling manslaughter trial had to take a hovercraft to get to the scene of the tragedy (Image: Milton Haworth)

"Teams from all around the area searched throughout the night, in freezing conditions, in an attempt to rescue them. Sadly, it was not to be." 

The team included a photograph of the Rescue Shield award they received after the disaster. The award states: "The dedication, perseverance and professionalism demonstrated by the Coastguard Rescue Teams in this tragic and traumatic incident uphold the finest traditions of the Coastguard Service." 

Gangmaster Lin Liang Ren served two years on remand and a further six years of his 14-year prison sentence before being deported to China in September 2012. His girlfriend Zhao Xiao Qing and his cousin Lin Mu Yong were also convicted of helping cocklers break immigration laws. 

There was a long trial with the prosecution case taking 75 days as Liang Ren denied 21 counts of manslaughter in 2005. It took until 2010 for the inquest of Liu Qin Ying to be heard after parts of her skull were found on the beach over six years after the disaster. The remains of the final cockler to be unaccounted for, Dong Xin Wu, have never been found. 

Many of the people involved in the disaster were from Fujian province and were told that they could make money in the cockling industry. 

They lived in squalid conditions in houses in Liverpool after being transported to the UK in containers.

Prior to the disaster in December 2003, restrictions on using the cockle beds in Morecambe Bay were relaxed, which was raised in the court case. The issue of opening up cockle beds to people with little experience of the sands at Morecambe Bay has remained a debate.