The Solway Firth has a strict licensing policy for cocklers

Dumfries Sheriff Court heard gangmaster Frances Charnley, 38, had failed to check the tide times before sending out the cocklers in January 2006.

Charnley, from Morecambe, admitted failing to ensure the health and safety of her employees.

Sheriff Kenneth Barr fined Charnley �2,000.

Fiscal depute Bob Morrison told the court that vehicles sent to pick up the cocklers after the coastguard was alerted to the danger had to drive through water that came up to their headlights.

The coastguard felt it beggared belief that anyone would go out at that time Bob Morrison Fiscal depute

Mr Morrison said getting the cocklers safely off the estuary was a "fairly close call".

Charnley had worked mainly in the Morecambe area and was not present when the cocklers went out on the Solway.

The coastguard was alerted at about 2245 GMT that a number of cocklers had been seen and an immediate warning was put out for them to get off the estuary.

Accepted responsibility

Mr Morrison said: "The coastguard felt it beggared belief that anyone would go out at that time with the state of the tide.

"If they had not turned at that time they might well have been cut off. We are talking about a matter of minutes and it was a fairly close call."

Defence solicitor Bill McVicar said Charnley had a turnover of �173,000 in two years as a gangmaster, making a total profit of �26,000.

He added that she had now given up cockling and works as a human resources consultant.

Mr McVicar pointed out that Charnley was not present at the time and the employees were in the hands of a supervisor, but she still accepted responsibility as their employer.