An industry source has informed me of numerous cases of gangmaster abuse over the past decade, from the hospitality industry to food processing and agriculture, saying that little has been done to change the situation. This crude architectural hierarchy marks Zhou Xiaomei out as a failure. But we quickly ran out of things to eat so I had to start working again. Twenty-three Chinese cockle pickers drowned in Lancashire's Morecambe Bay in February 2004. I tell them I am not worth killing. I was on my own and then a helicopter came.". His wife joined him after local snakeheads told her that migrant men find mistresses if they are separated from their spouses for too long. "There is a constant threat and risk of people being abused like this and dying because they're being forced to work in dangerous conditions. The problem is the creditors. It is as if they have fallen into a crevasse between justice and charity, from which there is no way out. "Someone told them that we had received compensation from the UK, but it is not true. Registered in England No. The authorities were so pleased with the outcome of Operation Lund (as the case was called) that investigators won last year's top criminal justice award. Often mistaken as a commemorative statue, this sculpture has become a memorial of sorts, honoring the deaths of 23 Chinese cockle pickers who died in Morecambe Bay working for criminal organizations. The deaths 10 years ago of 23 Chinese cockle pickers who were searching for a "better life" has had a lasting effect on all those associated with the disaster in Morecambe Bay. ", Yu went to Inner Mongolia for a few months to work. VideoOn board the worlds last surviving turntable ferry, I didnt think make-up was made for black girls, Why there is serious money in kitchen fumes. "We have no family home, no land. Ren was sentenced to 12 years for manslaughter, 6 years for facilitating illegal immigration (to be served concurrently with the manslaughter sentence), and 2 years for conspiracy to pervert the course of justice (to be served subsequent to the manslaughter sentence). The problem has got worse and the resources directed to it are totally inadequate.". At the moment, it is impossible. The death of 19 cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay has added to its reputation for being a deadly area for the unwary. And there are numerous licensed gangmasters who violate the rules and exploit the loopholes." Find Cockle Pickers Work At Morecambe Bay stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. "Our thoughts really are of sadness for the families. He must be able to hear everything anyway, if not this time, then on countless previous occasions. Memories of the tragedy may have faded in the public mind. I thank him and the Minister for allowing me to speak briefly on this important matter. It is the complications that unsettle him. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. But 5,000 miles away in Fujian province, on the south-eastern coast of China, lives are still being sucked into the sands. Morecambe Bay - Wikipedia Cockle joke Tory MP is defiant - Manchester Evening News And they were gone just like that. Read about our approach to external linking. Mr Hua said: "It was pitch black and I was desperate. Both Freeman and Bowkett were ordered by the judge to each pay 10,000 costs. The uncle, Chen Minyi, said he could not afford to keep them both, so the son stays with another aunt. The boy is lying on the bed, still flicking through a comic book. "I worry about their future," says the uncle. Det Sgt Derek Tinsley said: "[The Li sisters] clearly have no remorse for the way in which they obtained this money and wasted no time in trying to spend it on their release from prison. Worries about the future contrast sharply with the upbeat mood in Fujian. . The creditors have stopped charging interest, but they are a presence that the children cannot ignore. She really got on well with her son-in-law and now he is gone, she knows what problems we face.". All the victims were the main breadwinners for their families. Even in grief there is competition. The men put the cash in a plastic container and buried it in the back garden, where it was later discovered by officers. Follow us on Twitter to get the latest on the world's hidden wonders. "The only way I can bear life now is to imagine that he is still alive.". "I thought I might just as well wait to die. The lessons of Morecambe Bay have not been learned I heard it a lot that month, during two visits to the province to interview some of the families of the cockle pickers who had just died at Morecambe. Read about our approach to external linking. All I can think of is the Chinese cockle-pickers, poor sods. And tradition says the wife and children inherit the debt of the father. Now the creditors never stop bothering us." "I was on my own And then a helicopter came," he said. The cockles to be collected are best found at low tide on sand flats at Warton Sands, near Hest Bank. I have a serious disease. An . "He told us the water was up to his neck and asked us to pray for him," says his wife. One creditor, a cousin, has sued her in court, saying she must remarry to clear her debt.