Five held in cocklers probe
Two women and 17 men died after getting cut off by the incoming tide last Thursday.
The three men and two women arrested on Sunday night were among 16 people who survived the disaster.
They were being questioned at police stations in Blackpool and Preston about any involvement they may have had in organising the fateful trip.
A Lancashire Police spokesman said the arrests were not as a result of raids in Merseyside on Sunday.
He said: “The three men and two women were among the group originally described by us as survivors.
“We believe that those we are questioning and are in custody work within the cockling industry.
“Those we regard as genuine survivors continue to be cared for by colleagues from Lancashire social services and other caring organisations.”
The survivors are two people from England, nine asylum seekers and five people unknown to immigration services before Thursday.
A commission has been set up to help identify the dead cocklers.
The search for survivors has been called off, with police concentrating their efforts on finding the criminal gangs responsible.
Detective Chief Inspector Mick Gradwell, who is leading the investigation, said he was determined to track down the gangmasters he believed sent them to their deaths.
Raids on houses in Merseyside on Sunday revealed horrendous living conditions for Chinese cocklers.
Mr Gradwell said: “My officers are hardened men but they have never come across houses like these.
“We’re talking about up to 40 people living in these houses.
“There are mattresses on the floor, hardly any food, and poor heating.”
Officers confiscated a vast amount of equipment thought to be used to organise the cockle pickers, including computers, documents and mobile phones.
Lancashire Deputy Chief Constable Steve Finnigan said: “We must not underestimate the scale of this inquiry. It is truly massive.
“It could well take us to all corners of the globe.”
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