Police have found two dozen men they believe were being kept as slaves on a caravan site in Bedfordshire. In a major operation, the Greenacre caravan park in Leighton Buzzard was raided at around 5.30am on Sunday.
More than 200 police officers, police dogs and the fire arms unit were involved in the rescue mission.
The victims are a range of ages and are mostly English and eastern European.
They were initially taken to an undisclosed medical reception centre and are now being cared for by the local authority.
Four men and one woman, who all live on the site, have been arrested under the Slavery and Servitude Act 2010.
They are being held at police stations across Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
The raid followed a lengthy investigation by the Beds and Herts Major Crime Unit after reports people were being held against their will in poor conditions and forced to work for no pay.
Det Chief Insp Sean O'Neil from the 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 other for up to 15 years.
"A small number of officers are remaining at the site to complete searches and to liaise with the residents.
"We understand that some people may have information about what has been happening, but have been too scared to come forward and report it."
Capital FM
