Morecambe survivors speak out

Saturday, 14 February 2004 12:00 AM

Two survivors of the Morecambe cockle tragedy have spoken of the events which resulted in a group of migrant workers being swamped by the tide.

Thirty-year-old Gua Lin and 29-year-old Lin Mu Lung have been arrested and released but deny any responsibility for the deaths of 19 people. The pair are asylum seekers, who are now in the custody of the Immigration Service.

Reading a statement from Gua Lin and Lin Mu Lung, their solicitor Trevor Colebourne said: "They were part of a large group of cockle pickers who were recruited to work in the Morecambe Bay area for a pittance of a wage...They were given rudimentary equipment. They were untrained and blatantly unaware of the risks involved."

Mr Colebourne added: "They were required to work regardless of weather conditions and frequently after nightfall."

He said one of the survivors was on the beach and received a mobile phone call from one of his colleagues who was trapped in the rising tide.

"Gua Lin stripped and dived into the water and tried to swim out to rescue his friends, but was unable to reach them. He is a strong swimmer, but risked his own life to save his colleagues."

Earlier, John Denham, the chairman of the Commons home affairs committee, said there should be much tougher penalties for the gangmasters. He said they, like drug dealers, should face the seizure of their profits.

There have been calls from both sides of the Commons for action to be taken to protect migrant workers who might be trapped with low wages, dangerous conditions and the threat of violence.

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