EXPLOITATION of vulnerable workers in Britain is “rife” 20 years after the Morecambe Bay disaster in which 21 cockle-pickers were drowned.

The migrant Chinese workers were overcome by an incoming tide on February 5 2004 at the Lancashire coastal resort.

Trade union Unite said that despite the introduction of the Gangmaster Licensing Authority following the disaster, vulnerable workers still face “often dangerous exploitation.”

The union said the regulations need reform.

General secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is now 20 years since the Morecambe Bay disaster and the dangerous exploitation of vulnerable workers is still rife.

“Unions have always been at the forefront of defending workers and Unite’s predecessor union — the T&G — successfully fought for the establishment of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority to prevent such tragedies happening again.”

She accused the government of attacking and weakening employment rights since the disaster.

“My fear is that unless something changes it can only be a matter of time until the next tragedy,” she said.