12/09/2011 12:56
Police rescue 24 men held as slaves in Bedfordshire
Twenty-four people believed to have been held as slaves have been rescued following a dawn raid in Bedfordshire.
It is believed the people were recruited from soup kitchens, benefits offices and other locations, with the promise of accommodation and work.
When the people were brought to the site though, they had their heads shaved, mobile phones confiscated and made to work as labourers for no pay and live in squalid conditions.
Five people were arrested during the raid.
Some of those found on the site are believed to have been held there for as long as 15 years. If they tried to leave they were threatened and beaten.
All 24 people are now being cared for at a reception centre, Sky News said.