THE Home Office is to pay out for the bodies of 21 cockle pickers to be flown back home to China.

The Chinese migrants drowned in February when they were caught in fast-rising tides on the sands of Morecambe Bay.

The 11 survivors of the tragedy will be allowed to stay for a year so they can help police with their inquires into the deaths.

Fund A Home Office spokesperson says: "Following the tragedy at Morecambe Bay in February, and given the exceptional nature of these events, the Home Office has decided to fund repatriation of the 21 victims recovered so their families at home can bury their loved ones. We are now making arrangements for this to be carried out as soon as possible."

A leading member of Morecambe's Chinese community, Gina Tan, says she has received letters from the families of the cockle pickers who perished worried about the bodies of their relatives.

She says they are sending her a letter of authority to enable her to accompany the deceased back to China.

Help Former Cllr Patricia England told the Citizen that it would be comforting for the families if Gina were allowed to travel because she was a local person who knew them.

Stall Ms Tan plans to hold a stall as part of the Diversity Festival on October 2, where she will put up a display containing the letters from the families and their pleas for help and pictures they have sent to Gina.

Meanwhile, police believe there were another two victims but their bodies have not yet been recovered.

Five people, including three Chinese, have been charged in relation to the incident and are due to appear in court in the New Year.

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