Clacton car wash workers treated 'like slaves'

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-essex-45215227

Version 0 of 1.

Migrant workers were treated "like slaves" by three men running a car wash in Essex, a former employee said.

He said brothers Saimir and Benard Leshi, and relative Adriatik Leshi, provided staff accommodation that was "not fit for humans".

The man, who came to the UK from Romania after seeing a Facebook advert, also said his identification card was taken away.

The Leshis all deny modern slavery offences.

Jurors at Chelmsford Crown Court heard how the worker, who gave evidence from behind a screen, had expected to work at a car wash in Chesterfield, Derbyshire.

Instead, he said he was brought to Wellesley Road in Clacton, where the Leshis treated workers "like slaves".

He said: "Those were not conditions for work for a human being, neither were they conditions for a human being to live in."

He described how he washed up to 400 cars a day, a number disputed by the defence, with "three to five minutes" for lunch if there were no cars to wash.

The witness described how Saimir refused to return his ID card and swore at him when he asked to leave, a claim the defendant's barrister denies.

The trial of Saimir, 29, of Coronation Road, Benard, 26, of Wellesley Road, and Adriatik, 43, of Key Road, all in Clacton, continues.