FOUR Southport cocklers were rescued yesterday from the same sands where 20 Chinese workers were drowned two months ago.

Last night, father-of-two Kelvin Scott, who led the party, admitted they would have died but for the lifeboat rescuers - but said he would be returning to the cockle beds of Morecambe Bay.

Mr Scott, 39, of Slackey's Lane, son David, 16, nephew Darren Barratt, 24, of Ash Street, and friend Adam Jones, 17, from Roselea Drive, were stranded by the rising tide as they tried to free their £2,500 quad bike from a patch of quicksand as they collected cockles off Hest Bank.

They made a 999 call from a mobile phone and a major rescue operation was launched, involving an RNLI lifeboat and hovercraft and coastguard search teams. A helicopter was also scrambled from RAF Valley in Anglesey, but was returned to base before it reached the scene.

Last night, Mr Scott told the Daily Post: "If it wasn't for the RNLI we would all be dead, that is the horrible truth of it."

The former landscape gardener spoke of his panic as the tide closed in around them half a mile from shore, then admitted: "I have learned some serious lessons from this."

Mr Scott's group left Southport at around 4.30am yesterday and started cockling before 8am. Around an hour later the team were loading up their trailer when it became trapped in quicksand.

Mr Scott told the Daily Post: "By the time we got the trailer free we noticed the tide had come right in around us.

"The force of the flood literally turned the quad right over. A big wave came along and just swept it away.

"Since the Chinese cocklers died we have always had a plan for if we got trapped, and we just had to stick to that."

Mr Scott added: "I am very embarrassed but I don't think I was irresponsible. At the end of the day I should have been off the beach quicker. It is just something we have to learn our lessons from.

"We will be going out again, this is how we earn our living."

He added: "If it weren't for the RNLI we would probably have drowned. They were fantastic and I will continue to support them as I always have done."

A spokesman for HM Coastguard in Liverpool, which co-ordinated the search, said: "They were lucky to have their mobile phone.

"People can get a GPS system fairly cheaply which gives their location extremely accurately, but at the very least they should carry maps and compasses.

"People should ensure their vehicle is safe and reliable if they are relying on it to get back to shore. They should also consider taking some sort of inflatable craft."

Last night, Mr Scott's wife Cathy, 37, a trainee teacher, spoke of her relief. She told the Daily Post: "I just thank God they are OK and they had the mobile phone with them."

Investigations into how the Chinese cockling tragedy happened are continuing. One man is on police bail on suspicion of manslaughter, and a team of Lancashire police officers are in China interviewing family members.