On the outskirts of the fishing village of Flookburgh, Cumbria, a prohibition notice is stapled to a large metal gate across the entrance to the sands: “Beach closed to cockle fishing.” It is an offence to remove cockles until April 2024 and any person caught doing so risks a fine of up to £10,000.
Michael Wilson jumps out of his white van to unhook the gate and then drives past a handful of shrimping trailers to the edge of Morecambe Bay, the largest expanse of intertidal mudflats and sands in the country, at 120 sq miles.
