Fishermen facing cockle beds ban on Dee estuary in 2015

A "serious drop" in cockle stocks on the Dee estuary in Flintshire has led to a ban on collecting the shellfish during 2015, environment officials have said.

Illegal cockle picking and over-harvesting in 2014 are some of the factors that have been blamed for the move.

Currently, 53 licences for commercial cockle picking on the estuary are issued every year.

But Natural Resources Wales said current stocks fall "far short" of those needed for sustainable fishing.

BBC Wales' Matthew Richards reports.