A councillor has resigned after a row over council procedure following a discussion about the deaths of 20 Chinese cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay.

Milnthorpe Liberal Democrat member Malcolm Alston walked out after clashing with South Lakeland District Council chairman and Labour member Coun Jean Ewing at a full council meeting in Kendal Town Hall.

Following the presentation of a report by recreation portfolio holder Coun Andy Shine, which mentioned the tragedy, Coun Alston asked if SLDC should be working with Lancashire City Council and Barrow Borough Council to address health and safety issues facing cocklers around the bay.

While the question prompted discussion, his attempt to speak again on the matter and to propose a motion for recommendation was over-ruled on a point of order by Coun Ewing.

Coun Alston, of Arnside, has been a councillor for eight years and is the council's coastal issues representative.

He said this week he stood by his decision: "I said it was a travesty of democracy. It is such an important issue that needs action before anyone else loses their life, yet it is being knocked down by procedure.

"The fact is I have spent a fortnight researching and working on this matter which I consider to be very serious, and yet it could be dismissed as a point of order.

"There is no way I will apologise to the chairman. What is the point of having a coastal issues special group representative if we can't speak on the council."

Coun Alston is also a member of the Morecambe Bay Partnership.

Along with Albert Thornton, the Morecambe representative on Lancashire County Council, he visited London on February 17 for a meeting of the Local Government Association's Coastal Issues Special Interest Group.

The pair convinced the group to support any introduction of health and safety measures for cockle pickers in Morecambe Bay.

Coun Ewing said she had advised Coun Alston of procedure prior to the meeting and that any proposed motion needed to be submitted before the agenda was circulated.

Coun Ewing said: "I have got 52 councillors there, if I break the rule for one "All councillors know that if you've spoken once you cannot come in and speak again. There is a constitution and rules of debate and every councillor knows it.

"Because it is his area, every good councillor is passionate about things that happen in their area and so they should. It was a long and very stressful meeting. It is unfortunate as I get on well with Coun Alston."

Council solicitor Debbie Storr said Coun Alston had not followed procedure and that regulations restricted councillors from proposing matters not on the agenda.

She said the motion needed to be on the agenda to enable councillors to be fully informed of what the issue was about and what they were voting about.

She added that Coun Shine had indicated that he had taken Coun Alston's comments on board and a further report on the issue he had raised was expected.