A NEW warning has been sounded about the deadly sands of Morecambe Bay after two groups of cockle pickers became stranded.

Morecambe's RNLI lifeboat and hovercraft were launched and coastguard teams scrambled twice in three days when cocklers became trapped on sandbanks off Bolton-le-Sands.

Four people were plucked from a sandbank and six others managed to swim to safety when the trailer they were travelling across the sands on was engulfed by water as the tide rushed in at 10.30am on Tuesday.

The group of cockle pickers were saved by the RNLI hovercraft. No one was reported to be injured.

On Sunday, a father with his nephew, son and a friend - all from Southport - called 999 on a mobile phone after their quad bike got stuck in quicksand at 9.20am.

They were quickly rescued, uninjured but suffering from shock and cold.

The incidents come just two months after 20 Chinese cocklers drowned in the bay.

And lifeboat spokesman Harry Roberts, pictured, says people without local knowledge are taking too many risks in the Bay.

"In the first case there had been a lot of rain the night before and local fishermen were not out because it was not safe.

"Fishermen who are not local should seek information from locals to avoid getting them-selves into danger."

Guide to the sands Alan Sledmore told the Citizen he watched the drama unfolding on Tuesday and knew the group had left it too late to get off the sands safely.

"They would have lost their lives but for the hovercraft. They had not anticipated how fast the water was going to come in, but once the tractor towing the trailer of cocklers had com-mitted itself, there was no going back," he says.

"The tide rushed in and swamped the tractor and the engine must have cut out leaving the fishermen with nowhere to go. Some got into the water and tried to swim to Priest Skeer Island.

Paul Parkes, Liverpool Coast-guard watch manager, says it is imperative that tide timetables and weather conditions are always checked out.