DETECTIVES investigating the deaths of Chinese cockle pickers want to trace people who fled Morecambe that night, reports Nadia Jefferson-Brown.

As Morecambe Bay's sands gave up another one of their dead, investigators revealed that a vehicle seen at the scene had been recovered in Merseyside.

But police are unclear how many people raced off in it and how many others may have left in other vehicles, such as taxis.

The death toll of people trapped by incoming tides on the night of February 5 now stands at 20. But members of the Chinese community believe 24 people drowned.

A memorial shrine built last week at Red Bank, Hest Bank from where the cocklers made their final journey on to the sands featured 24 sets of chopsticks as an offering to the dead.

There were also two dozen cups of rice wine, cigarettes and candles, while the figure 24' was clearly visible on an inscription beside flowers.

Chief Superintendent Wendy Walker, Lancashire Police's northern divisional commander, said a member of the Chinese community had said last week that there were still five bodies to be recovered.

"I read what she said in a Sunday newspaper an hour later there was another body.

"I know we have 20 dead. If there are to be other bodies we will deal with them. We still don't know how many people were out there," she said.

"We know from previous disasters that bodies can stay in the Bay for three to four weeks and the tide can take them to other places."

Det Supt Mick Gradwell urged anyone with information about the tragedy to get in touch.

"I understand people are still reticent and scared because of the nature of the cockling business but I still feel there's information we could get."

He told the Gazette: "We are aware that some people left the scene. There was a vehicle that was seen there and we recovered that in Merseyside."

He would not give details of the vehicle, but said: "We are building up a very good picture of what occurred and we have received massive amounts of information.

It is going as well as we could have hoped."

Senior investigators met on Monday at Lancaster Police Station with representatives from the National Crime Squad, National Criminal Intelligence Service and Immigration.

Chief Supt Wendy Walker said: "The meeting was to ensure that all matters surrounding the tragedy were being dealt with, from what led to the deaths of 20 cocklers to the wider issue of human trafficking. It was very useful."

Det Supt Gradwell's investigation remains focused on the chronology of events, from when the Chinese workers were at Merseyside to the drowning disaster in Morecambe Bay.