Shellfish bed is closed due to bacteria levels

An area where shellfish are harvested has been temporarily closed after bacteria levels were found to exceed "permitted" levels.

Shellfish beds at Stubborn Sands, Heacham, have been closed to commercial harvesting, King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council said.

The council also warned members of the public not to collect shellfish, in particular cockles, "as doing so may pose a risk to human health".

According to a council spokesman, the high bacteria levels were detected during monthly sampling of the shellfish beds for E.coli.

The authority posted a notice on its website which said: "As part of the council's routine shellfish sampling programme for the classification of shellfish beds, a recent sample taken from the shellfish bed at Heacham known as Stubborn Sands INNER, has returned bacterial levels exceeding the permitted threshold."

It said the beds would routinely reopen after "two consecutive satisfactory results" were taken, but would now remain closed until September.

This was "at least", in part due to "a seasonal closure in August" which had taken place for the past two years due to "historic poor" test results in the summer month.

The area affected impacts a private fishery and those with rights to the area.

Most Wash fishing crews were "unaffected by this closure", the council spokesman said.

Commercial harvesting of shellfish that occurs within the borough is regulated through the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and borough council's role is to ensure harvested shellfish come from areas monitored and classified in accordance with regulation.

The beach at Heacham near Hunstanton has been classified as poor by the Environment Agency since 2021, with the cause of the problem being disputed among experts and locals.

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