 Insurance companies are refusing premiums |
Guides who take charity groups across the dangerous sands of Morecambe Bay fear more people will try to walk unsupervised across the bay. Insurance firms worried by last year's cockling tragedy, when 23 Chinese cockle pickers died, are not renewing policies for guides.
Guide Alan Sledmore fears if they cannot lead organised groups, some people will be tempted to cross alone.
He only has four bookings from national bodies with their own insurance.
 |  It seems we have been kicked in the teeth  |
Mr Sledmore, who takes groups from Hest Bank to Grange Over Sands or Flookborough, led more than 30 walks last year with many raising money for charity. He leads walks across the shifting sands using his knowledge of tidal flows and the safest routes.
He said: "The problem is with the public liability insurance. The insurance companies have decided it is too much of a risk to insure people going across the bay.
"It seems we have been kicked in the teeth.
"It is ironic that we warned about the cocklers going out on the sands without any kind of regulations or permit to work the system and now, because of the tragedy, we are being penalised when we warned of the dangers in the first place."
He added he had never made any claim on his policy, which had cost �150 per year.
One-Minute World News 
News services
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
