Sir, I refer to several recent articles regarding the need to control cockling, or more specifically the frequent side effects of cockling.

By this I mean the litter, damage to roadsides and foreshore, nuisance and disruption to local residents, threats to road safety, discouragement of local tourism, increased workload and cost to local emergency services, and last but not least, the cost to local tax payers.

So why can't anything be done?

As a district councillor of an area that suffers from the problem I have spent many hours trying to find an answer to this question, but I, like other councillors on the other side of the Bay, and now in Barrow, have found that there are very few powers available for use by local authorities that can make any real impact. Local residents and visitors are rightly angered and frustrated by the limited action being taken.

However, there are things that I believe could be done: The National Regulatory Agencies - Health and Safety Executive, Customs and Excise, Immigration and Sea Fisheries, need to communicate and coordinate their resources and take more frequent local action. While a permanent presence is probably unrealistic, local residents and visitors need to see regular checks and effective enforcement.

A licencing system appropriately resourced and capable of being enforced would contribute to sifting out those cocklers and their bosses who are not following all the legal requirements, do not know the local dangers, have inadequate safety equipment and procedures and do not adhere to a reasonable local Code of Practice over access, noise, parking, personal hygiene etc.

I wrote to John Hutton MP and the Sea Fisheries Committee early last November about the need for such a system.

It appears that the recent Police Reform Act, trumpeted as legislation to reduce anti-social behaviour, is not flexible enough to deal with the actions of some cocklers. Local police have been very involved in trying to address the cockling issues but clearly their powers and resources are too limited at present.

These gaps in legislation and resources and the coordination of the various agencies need to be addressed by our local Members of Parliament. Much of the answer is now in their hands.

This problem is not going to go away.

David Foot South Lakeland District Councillor, Low Furness and Swarthmoor