Over 20 suspected illegal immigrants found in back of lorry at Toddington Services

More than 20 suspected illegal immigrants were found in the back of a lorry at Toddington Services off the M1 last Thursday (December 21).

No-one was injured and the people were passed on to immigration services.

The day before (Wednesday, December 20), Bedfordshire Police arrested three people on suspicion of modern slavery.

The investigation centred on allegations of people being brought into the UK from Africa under false promises and then forced to work for less than the minimum wage.

Almost 40 potential victims came forward after a reception centre was set up on the day.

The suspects – a man and a woman in their 50s and a man in his 30s, all from Luton – have been released on bail, pending further enquiries.

Bedfordshire is consistently among the highest areas in the country for potential victims of modern slavery being identified and referred into the national referral mechanism.

Detective Inspector Katy Watts, from Bedfordshire Police, said: “Modern slavery and human trafficking are among the most vile and abhorrent crimes imaginable.

“This is not some distant problem. It is a problem that is happening right here in our communities – and I would encourage people to be alert to these issues.

“Anyone can be vulnerable to exploitation in a multitude of ways. While both these cases involved trafficking of people from overseas, this is just one aspect of potential vulnerability to exploitation.

“If you think something isn’t right and someone could be at risk of exploitation, please tell us so we can do our best to protect them.”

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