In the week of Anti-Slavery Day (18 October 2018), Durham Lib Dem Councillor Richard Ormerod is urging local drivers, and their passengers, to be vigilant for the presence of modern slavery when they use car washes.

Councillor Ormerod said:

“Slavery in all of its forms is totally abhorrent, but it still exists even in Britain and it can occur very close to us.”

The National Crime Agency has indicated that there are thousands of people being exploited in this way in the UK, working long hours for little or no pay, in atrocious conditions and with little regard for health and safety. Some of these individuals are being coerced to work with the threat of violence.

The Church of England has launched a Safe Car Wash app that can be downloaded by the general public to their smart phones and devices to help the police tackle the problem. Users are asked to open the app and complete a short survey about the working conditions for staff that they observe whilst using the car wash. The data is anonymised and then shared with the National Crime Agency and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

Councillor Ormerod supports the app, saying:

“Put simply, the Safe Car Wash app is one way that each of us as individuals can make a real difference. I would urge everyone to use Anti-Slavery Day to resolve to download this app and to complete the questionnaire every time they use a car wash to help to bring the scourge of modern slavery to an end.”

The app can be found at https://www.theclewerinitiative.org/safecarwash/