The cockle beds are 400 and 700 metres off shore

They usually make their living off Gower but have been unable to collect cockles there since September because the shellfish are not big enough.

They have applied for permission to harvest beds on Pembroke River instead.

But the county council said it is too dangerous to venture out onto mudflats.

They have been out of work since September which is why they have been going to look at other areas Rory Parsons

More than 20 cockle pickers turned up on Wednesday morning at the foreshore at Bentlass, about four miles outside Pembroke.

A small group used a dinghy to go out to collect cockles from one of the beds. No-one from Pembrokeshire county council turned up to stop them.

The cocklers said they were not going to sell on the shellfish they collected on Wednesday, but the council still said what they did was illegal.

One of the cocklers, Glyn Hyndman, said "We know what the environment issues are. We know how to manage the stock, how many to take and what size to take."

More than 20 cockle pickers waited for council officers to arrive

He said that scallop pickers were allowed to dive to collect the shellfish as were those collecting oysters and mussels and there was no environmental reason why cockling did not take place as well.

Many of the bigger cockles on the beds had died naturally since the cocklers applied for a license last August but they said a new stock would be ready to harvest in a few months.

Before a bed can be cleared for commercial gathering, samples of the shellfish must be taken and passed fit for human consumption.

Pembrokeshire Council said it had taken advice from the rescue services who said its officers should not go any further than 200 metres from the shore but the beds were 400 and 700 metres out.

"If any of our officers got into difficulties while taking these samples they would be out of range of rescue," said a spokesman.

Some large live cockles were removed but many had died naturally

"The cocklers themselves have offered to take samples but we would still be responsible for their health and safety."

But the cocklers say they are all experienced fishermen capable of working the beds safely.

Environmental concerns

Rory Parsons, managing director of Parsons Pickles in Burry Port, said the beds would provide work for gatherers and processors who had been without an income since September.

"The cockle pickers are more than prepared to go and get samples for them," he said.

"They have been out of work since September which is why they have been going to look at other areas.

"We hoped they (council officers) would have come here today so that we could have a dialogue with them but they have not. They are not doing their job."

As well as safety fears some locals say there are environmental concerns.

Francis Bunker, a marine biologist living in Bentlass said: "There are some very fragile marine habitats there and it's not appropriate for cockle picking."