Illegal shellfish picking in Essex could be linked to lockdown
Criminals suspected of sending migrants to Essex to illegally harvest shellfish could be filling a gap in the market caused by lockdown, a fisheries expert said.
Police seized more than 810kg of shellfish from gangs of illegal pickers in Southend who it is suspected were being forced to work by organised crime groups.
The haul, confiscated during one week by officers along the coastline, had an estimated retail value of £11,000.
It included oysters, winkles and cockles.
Martin Terry, cabinet member for community safety and customer contact at Southend-on-Sea Borough Council, said: "Without going through the appropriate stages of harvesting, the product simply isn't safe for human consumption."
Essex Police said officers spoke to 29 pickers and many of them needed help from the charity Justice and Care, which rescues victims from slavery.
The local council's environmental health team and Border Force also worked with police on the joint operation.
Mr Terry added: "On top of the health problems, there are deep-rooted, modern-day slavery issues with harvesting. During the week, we saw harvesters out in high winds and heavy rain.
"They could so easily get caught up in the tide, yet the problem continues. This points towards workers being forced out, and this is something we are fully committed to preventing."
Meanwhile, coastal authorities have reported gangs in other UK locations flouting regulations set up to protect sea-life levels and food safety standards.
On Tuesday, dozens of people were stopped from illegally harvesting shellfish in Redcar near Middlesbrough.
The following day, a family group was found to be picking cockles to use in a restaurant in the Northumbria Police area.
Cockles found in the Redcar and Cleveland area are not fit for human consumption and eating them could cause severe illness and be potentially fatal for children.
That is because the sea there has not been classified for bivalve consumption, so the bacteria levels in cockles are not known.