MORE potentially deadly shellfish have been taken out of the food chain as a crackdown on illegal oyster picking continues.

Environmental health officers seized almost a quarter of a tonne of oysters and other shellfish they suspected may enter the food chain without being properly processed after stopping two groups of pickers near Ocean Beach, in Southchurch.

Police carried out immigration checks on the 14 pickers, but no-one was arrested.

David Norman, Southend councillor responsible for regulatory services, said: “Removing shellfish from the beach and placing themt on the market for consumption poses a huge risk of serious illness to the public.

“Furthermore, with the shellfish industry being such an important part of the borough’s economy, any illegal commercial activity undermines and undercuts our borough’s legitimate shellfish harvesters and any subsequent food poisoning outbreak could severely damage our international reputation for quality.

“A study in 2012 found about 75 per cent of oysters contain norovirus and all oysters from Southend must either be cooked or go through a lengthy purification process before they can be considered safe for human consumption.

“We have a duty to protect public health, protect our shellfish industry and protect Southend’s reputation, which is why I welcome our environmental health team’s continued activity in this area.”

Members of the public are allowed to gather limited numbers of oysters for personal consumption, but commercial operations need official transport documents and oysters must be decontaminated before being sold.

Officers felt the 235kg of shellfish the 14 pickers were caught with on Wednesday, June 10, could end up in restaurants without being properly processed, exposing anyone who consumed the product to potentially fatal illnesses such as salmonella, norovirus or hepatitis A.

One man was found harvesting oysters on the foreshore near the Castle pub, Southchurch, on Thursday morning after reports from a member of the public.

But the amount collected was consistent with personal consumption, so the environmental health officer took his details and advised him how oysters must be processed to make them safe to eat.

The council will continue to monitor activity on beaches through patrols and CCTV surveillance.

To report an incident to the council, call 01702 215000.