Operation Lund - Morecambe Bay Cockling Disaster, February 5, 2004

Abstract

Morecambe Bay is a large bay in the northwest of England, situated just south of the Lake District national park. It consists of a large expanse of sand and tidal mudflats and is the biggest of its type anywhere in the United Kingdom. Covering over 300 kilometers², with the cockle beds in some places stretching as far out as 7-8 miles from the shore, this area is notoriously treacherous, and when on the sands particular attention must be paid to the quicksand and the fast-moving tides, which can travel faster than a man can run. Add to this the 10-meter-high tide range together with the broad and shallow formation of the sands, and this deceptively calm and beautiful area can turn into a death trap within minutes.