The River Cocker rises near to Yeat House Farm and Higher Knowe Hill south of Quernmore, near Lancaster.

[3] Cockerham Marsh is a designated SSSI[4] and the Cocker Estuary is a favoured overwintering site of migratory pink-footed goose, which can be seen in flocks of over one thousand, at times.

It is also nationally important for other winter seabirds, including oystercatcher, turnstone, grey plover, knot, curlew, common redshank and dunlin.

The area is heavily pastorally farmed, with extensive cattle, sheep and poultry stock and agricultural pollution is identified as the main reason that waters have yet to attain “Good” status.

Recent reporting has identified the overall quality of the water as “Moderate” for environmental pollution (ammonia and phosphates) and “Good” for chemical contamination.