Following dawn raids by the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority (GLAA) and Merseyside Police, the GLAA revealed 41 vulnerable workers were also supported by specialist officers and the British Red Cross following the action in Liverpool last Thursday.

GLAA investigators, supported by police and the National Crime Agency (NCA), executed warrants at a dozen residential addresses across the city, while at one house a cannabis farm was discovered, along with large amounts of cash that were also recovered.

The husband and wife were held along with another man for questioning on suspicion of modern slavery offences, including forced labour and trafficking. They have been released under investigation. All the suspects are Romanian.

The GLAA and Merseyside Police were acting on intelligence alleging migrant workers from Romania are being trafficked into the UK and forced to work. It is also alleged many are given false names and have no choice as to when and where they work.

Those taken to a place of safety can choose to enter the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) – a framework for identifying victims of human trafficking or modern slavery.

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