Up to 400 people a day could descend on Duddon Estuary

Council officials hope a voluntary code can be agreed to regulate commercial picking in the Duddon Estuary.

The Food Standards Agency is deciding whether the beds are fit for human consumption.

But residents of nearby Askham-in-Furness want assurances in the wake of the Morecambe Bay tragedy.

The cockle beds are known to be of high quality and have not been commercially harvested for decades.

But experts reckon millions of pounds in potential profits will attracts up to 400 cocklers a day and upwards of 50 vehicles to the area, which is close to the Roanhead nature reserve.

Barrow Borough Council is hoping a voluntary code can be worked out to ensure the concerns of residents and wildlife experts are allayed.

We have to ensure that all these people and their vehicles do not interfere with the normal working life of the community Steve Donnelly, Askham parish councillor

Immigration officials, council bosses, fishery agencies and the police have already discussed the likely impact of the situation.

Askham parish councillor Steve Donnelly said: "The main concerns we have is there are going to be up to 400 people at one time fishing the beds.

"A lot of these will be moving across from Morecambe Bay.

"We could ask for a permit system to be brought in, but as we saw in the Morecambe Bay tragedy, this does not seem to work.

"We have to ensure that all these people and their vehicles do not interfere with the normal working life of the community.

"There is no legislation to stop these people coming, they are perfectly entitles to fish, it's an ancient right to fish, therefore we have to ensure we have the least impact on the community."

Barrow Borough Council said it wanted to see a voluntary code of practice among cocklers to limit environmental damage.