MAJOR issues in the management of the River Dee cockle beds were raised in an important debate in the House of Commons.

There are concerns the livelihoods of local fishing families are "being destroyed" after control of the estuary was transferred to Welsh government organisation Natural Resources Wales.

The move brought with it new fishing quotas which were imposed without consultation.

MPs on both sides of the English and Welsh border spoke on behalf of their constituents who were experiencing issues in the way Natural Resources Wales was managing the cockle beds coupled with a lack of scrutiny from the Environment Agency.

Wirral West MP Margaret Greenwood and Justin Madders, MP for Ellesmere Port and Neston, have been campaigning on behalf of the cocklers.

Ms Greenwood said: "My constituents feel the Environment Agency is not representing them adequately and that, as NRW is an agency of the Welsh Administration, its responsibility is obviously to people in Wales rather than those in England.

"They have spent months making requests for access to the accounts showing the fishery costs and have made repeated requests to see the full accounts.

"However, they have been provided with only a summary.

"The cocklers have raised concerns about the management of the cockle beds by Natural Resources Wales, including issues relating to financial management."

Mr Madders said the situation highlighted injustices created when devolution fails to address the important question of cross-border accountability.

"The transfer of responsibility for the Dee estuary to NRW [created] problems the Environment Agency has been aware of for some time but is seemingly unwilling or unable to act on.

"It was therefore remarkable that in the latter part of 2015 the Environment Agency proposed a new regulatory order to reflect current management arrangements, and that NRW takes over sole responsibility for the Dee.

"The issue of accountability has come to a head because of the implementation by NRW of what is known as the 'bird food model' for determining quotas - which was imposed on the estuary without consultation.

"That represents a dramatic departure from previous systems, and has put the livelihoods of many fishermen in jeopardy.

"it is entirely unfit for purpose and it is destroying their livelihoods, yet there seems to be no legitimate route through which they can raise their concerns about it. Where is the accountability in this situation?"

"The Environment Agency might have outsourced the day-to-day running of the estuary - but it should not be able to outsource its responsibility to my constituents who have been let down by this abrogation."

Defra minister George Eustice said he has now asked the Environment Agency officials to attend future meetings in relation to the management of the cockle beds.

Ms Greenwood and Mr Madders added: "We welcome the minister's announcement Environment Agency staff will attend meetings in future.

"However there remain unanswered questions and we will continue to work on behalf of our constituents to find answers to these.

"It is important we protect the cockling industry in the Dee Estuary and the livelihoods of those who depend upon it."