A shellfish bed near Angle Village has re-opened. The cockle bed was temporarily closed two weeks ago after a sample of shellfish was found to contain a high E coli level. Subsequent samples taken by port health officers have now given the cockle bed the all clear and it has re-opened for harvesting. Under EU food hygiene legislation, Pembrokeshire County Council has a duty to monitor the microbiological standards of certain types of shellfish in areas designated for their production for human consumption. A sample of cockles taken from a monitoring point off Angle village on Monday, June 18, and submitted for microbiological investigation to the National Public Health Service Laboratory at Carmarthen revealed an E.coli level more than 18,000 E.coli/100g of flesh - giving rise to an 'Action State' under the South West Wales Local Action Plan. Following discussions with CEFAS (the Centre for the Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science) in Weymouth, and the Food Standards Agency Wales, and on the basis of the advice received, it was decided to issue a notice of Temporary Closure on the production area. The reason for the elevated result is believed to be associated with the recent heavy rains, although this has not been confirmed.
