Illegal cockle crews ‘earning £14k a day’
TEAMS of illegal cockle-pickers are plundering beaches and destroying stocks.
Locals say they have been hitting the Isle of Sheppey, Kent, earning up to £14,000 a day.
Fishermen and residents have complained that people without a licence are filling up bucket loads of shellfish to sell to shops.
Anyone can collect a small amount of cockles for personal use but if these limits are exceeded a licence is required.
A 2015 byelaw states anyone wishing to fish for cockles in Kent and Essex must have a permit. No one is allowed to fish for the molluscs using dredging equipment bigger than 50ft long and 16ft wide to protect stocks of the popular delicacy.
Steve Brooker, 64, who has a caravan at Leysdown said: “I am really concerned. These people are raping our beaches of cockles, small crabs and oysters. It is getting out of hand.
“They are filling up cars with five-gallon buckets. This is going on every day. Everyone knows it is happening but no one is doing anything about it. Police told one family to put everything back but the cockle-pickers simply move to another beach.”
Fisherman Nick Lewis, watched the illicit squads work at Leysdown on Friday.
He said: “There were 14 of them in four cars. They were still working when I left at 6.30pm as they were following the tide as it went out. It is a total disgrace.
“These are filling their buckets with all sizes and then selling them to the fish shops.”
The price of cockles, a cockney favourite, is about £14 per 1kg. 57, at