Four held on suspicion of slavery offences

Four residents of a caravan site were arrested on suspicion of slavery offences yesterday, police said.

Three men and a woman were held following a long-running investigation by Bedfordshire Police which suggested a number of people were being held against their will – some for as long as 15 years – in poor conditions at the site, and forced to work for no pay.

Some 24 men, all believed to be victims of slavery, were taken from the site to a medical centre. Police said they were mostly from English and eastern European backgrounds.

Detective Chief Inspector Sean O’Neil, from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said: “The men we found at the site were in a poor state of physical health and the conditions they were living in were shockingly filthy and cramped.

“We believe that some of them had been living and working there in a state of virtual slavery, some for just a few weeks and others for up to 15 years.

“Because of the number of victims and suspects, we needed the assistance of specialist units.”