A TEAM of Lancashire police will arrive back in Britain tomorrow from China, where they have been trying to establish the identities of 20 cocklers who died in Morecambe Bay.

The eight-strong team, led by Detective Chief Inspector Steve Brunskill, has been in China since April 14. With the assistance of the local government and police in Fujian Province the officers have been able to meet 22 families, including three whose relatives are still missing. They also visited a family in Shenyang City in Liaoning Province prior to their visit to Fujian.

Mr Brunskill said: "My team and I were impressed by the respect and gratitude expressed by the families during interviews. With the assistance of the local mayor and police in the five different towns we visited we were able to obtain DNA samples that should confirm identification. It will be a further three weeks before this is available to the coroner who will then be able to open an inquest.

"It seems a long time now since the tragedy but it was right to prepare properly for the visit. I wanted to be sure that we had correctly identified the families involved. We succeeded in this and, wherever possible, personal items belonging to the victim once identified were returned to the family.

"All of this was a moving experience and we were able to share in the grief. My team and I will never forget our visit, particularly the time spent with relatives, but also the friendship and facilities offered to us. It was good to work once again with the Chinese police team led by Dr Zuo Zhijin following their visit to Lancashire last month."