 Cocklers breaking new guidelines would be prosecuted |
Fisheries minister Ben Bradshaw is to tackle the issue of safety after the deaths of 20 Chinese cocklers. Mr Bradshaw was touring around Morecambe Bay on Thursday and meeting local council and community leaders.
He said the government was keen to learn lessons from the tragedy and find ways of making cockling much safer.
He said: "The Health and Safety Executive at the moment is working on legally enforceable guidelines which it hopes to issue very soon."
He added: "There are many people picking cockles perfectly safely making a living out of it.
False alarm
"But those who do not abide by those guidelines could be prosecuted and that, at this stage, seems to be the most sensible and quickest way forward."
Mr Bradshaw's comments came after a safety alert in Morecambe Bay when the Liverpool Coastguard responded to reports that cockle pickers were in danger on Thursday.
An RAF helicopter was sent to the bay after reports that 30 cocklers were stranded in the water.
But the cocklers were able to get back on shore before the helicopter arrived.
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