The Morecambe Bay tragedy is being remembered 20 years on, with Lancashire Police admitting it is still struggling to prosecute trafficking gangs.
On February 5, 2004, 23 Chinese cockle pickers drowned on the northeast seafront after being cut off by the high tide.
The tragic events exposed an underground world of criminal operations and cheap labour, but Lancashire police chief Mick Gradwell believes gangs involved still operate.
He told ITV that resulting police work had exposed illegal Chinese labour in cockling, sex work and nail bars.
Gradwell said: “We closed down the gang's banking system but it was quickly up and running again.
“Those gangs are still operating to this day and are making millions and millions of pounds every year.”
What happened at Morecambe Bay?
More than 30 Chinese people were harvesting cockles on Morecambe Bay and were forced to continue despite the tide rising around them.
"Sinking water, sinking water,” one Chinese cockle picker was heard shouting in a frantic 999 call. Despite the huge rescue efforts, 23 workers died after being swept by the sea.
Paul Turner, who is now Morecambe RNLI's lifeboat operations manager, told the BBC: "It just looked like a plane had crashed. There were bodies all over the place.
"I was very young at the time and we'd never really experienced anything like that before."
Fellow Morecambe resident Margaret Owen added: "Nobody thought it could happen in Morecambe Bay.
"Everybody was devastated, it was the most tragic deaths."
Chinese-born Lin Liang Ren was the gangmaster responsible and was sentenced to 14 years behind bars in 2006.
But although that time has now finished, the legacy of the events still lives on for those working and living in Morecambe Bay.
After the events, the cockling practice was investigated and new rules were introduced - which have helped improve the safety for vulnerable workers.
It saw 150 individuals get licensed to gather cockles in the bay, a measure which can prevent tragedies. However, the permit scheme has also meant that it is harder for workers in general to earn a living.
Fisherman Michael Wilson told the Guardian: “They talk about protecting the birds here, but it’s the fishermen who will be extinct.”
Former fisherman Ian McClure added: “It’s a young man’s game. I would love to pass it on to my grandson but I can’t. It’s going to finish the village.”
A memorial was held on Sunday to mark the lost lives.
James Lui from the Chinese Community Association was one of 100 people to gather on the beach on Sunday.
He said: "I feel very thankful that they still remember the lives of 23 people they never met.”
