Cockles scarce in borough

I am London born and bred. One of my Saturday delights in my younger days was to sit in front of the TV with a plate of sea salted cockles, brown bread and butter and a nice mug of tea.

When I moved to Telford I could still do this. Cockles were available in the supermarkets or on the fresh fish stalls, at first fresh, then frozen, then in bags. Then they disappeared.

I tried the supermarkets. Asda? "Sorry we don't stock them." (They used to). Sainsbury's? "There's no demand for them." (I'm demanding them). Morrisons? "We've none in stock but we can try and order them for you." (They tried but couldn't get them.)

Tescos had the most original excuse: "Since those poor Chinese cockle pickers were drowned, we can't get any!" (Were the Chinese the only cockle pickers in the country?)

But I can buy cockles by the barrow load in Birmingham and Dublin.

Jim Wood Holmer Lake