The Cruel Tides of Morecambe Bay
By Faye Mulholland
Way up North, in Cumbria, past the secluded mountains and waters of the Lake District sits a town called Barrow-in-Furness. Built around the large ship building company now run by BAE systems, it was not only an important site during the Industrial Revolution, but it is also situated in the most picturesque surroundings.
This town enjoys the pleasure of the awe-inspiring views across the vast sheet of sand and water that is Morecambe Bay. As the sun strikes down upon the glistening water, it is hard to imagine a more tranquil image. The beauty of this limitless expanse has lured people from their homes for centuries. People are drawn to the holiday town of Morecambe as well as the other nearby areas of Piel, Walney and the Chapel islands. Its biggest attraction, however, are the sands themselves.
This is a dangerous challenge and if it is done without care, skill and an appointed guide to help, fatal accidents often occur. The rapidly changing tide and the well-camouflaged quick-sands have claimed the lives of many who dared risk the walk across the sands in the past. From those who set out just for an afternoon wander or for those who walked onto the sands after a night of heavy drinking, the force of the sea has proved greater than the people who come to watch it. Too many lives have been taken over the years by this span of water. Early accounts date back as far as the 1700’s.
“The bodies of 12 persons unfortunately drowned near North End on the 8th of January 1789.” This source comes from the Walney registers, from an island off Barrow-in-Furness.
And this, from ‘The Diary of William Fisher of Barrow - 1811 to 1859’:
“July 5 1840: Bengiman Kurkby of Ulverston, shoes maker, with his son and daughter and Mrs Parker their lodger went on an excursion to the chapel Island and wandered down to a place called Elwood Scare and was surrounded by the tide and in attempting to wade through, his son and daughter with Mrs Parker were drowned but he succeeded in getting on to Chapel Island where he was taken off by Afternoon in a boat. Mrs Parker and his daughter were found near the place after the tide returned, but his son has not been found.”
Although deaths are regular occurrences near this dangerous bay, not one event was as terrible as the 2004 cockling disaster.
Morecambe Bay has been a holiday resort for many years, bringing people visiting from all over the world. But before this, not long after Morecambe Bay was first formed, it was fishermen that were the main people attached to this area. The changing tides and sands provided the perfect environment for seafood and especially cockles.
This business started to bring forth more people intent on making greater profits from this source of income.
It was during the 1950’s that the first Chinese family immigrated to Barrow. Most of the Chinese that came to Barrow did so to start new businesses or because they didn’t have enough money to support themselves and their families. They hoped that by coming to Barrow, they could ensure themselves a better future with more money. Some even made the harsh decision to become illegal immigrants in this country.
They had to endure sometimes up to six months hidden away, kept in complete darkness, making their way in secret around the globe until they finally made it safely to their destination. And when they arrived, most other jobs were so badly paid, that walking the sands of Morecambe Bay seemed the next natural step to take, even if it was only for a couple of pounds more.
The Morecambe Bay cockling disaster happened towards the evening of the 5th February 2004. It was a work-gang of illegal Chinese immigrants, picking cockles for extremely poor pay, that were tragically cut off by the tide. The tide which is said to move as fast as a horse runs. The tide began to cut off the cocklers towards 9.30pm in the evening and although a distressed phone call was made to the emergency services by one of the cockle pickers, only one person was able to be rescued.
The group of people had split into two groups, one of which made it safely back to land. This group consisted of just fourteen members.
A total of twenty-one bodies were recovered from the grasps of Morecambe Bay, all of which belonged to men and women between the ages of eighteen to forty-five. Unfortunately a further two cocklers were believed to have been with the group, but their bodies were never discovered.
Out of a possible thirty-eight individuals, only fifteen managed to survive the terrible fate that awaited their fellow workers. The whole incident taught everyone across the country a valuable lesson about the dangers that are hidden by a stretch of sand masked by the beauty of the Lake District.
During 2005 to 2006 four men and a woman were accused of manslaughter and breaking the immigration laws. Lin Liang Ren was convicted for all twenty-one deaths and by the 28th March 2006 he had been sentenced to fourteen-year imprisonment. It was also recommended that by the end of his sentence he should be deported back to China.
Today, many people still cross the beautiful sands to pick cockles, but never again will the people of Morecambe Bay wander the sands unprepared or without a guide. The memory of the tragic event lingers on in the heads of all those who step onto the bay.
Many were influenced strongly by the TV reports, or the film Ghosts by Nick Broomfield, which depicts the awful events through the eyes of immigrant Ai Qin.
Though the event itself is dreadful, the old message has finally got through to the adventurers wishing to walk Morecambe Bay: “Let their eyes fill with wonder, but their heads may stay wary, as the beauty of the Bay disguises its true self” [Anonymous].