A publicity blitz highlighting illegal practices at some hand car washes across Norfolk has seen motorists download an app to help eradicate modern slavery and exploitation.
Run by unscrupulous people, some sites have staff who are under-age, live onsite in poor conditions, are paid very low wages, and face a variety of other unsafe, unfair, and controlling practices.
Billboards and posters at bus stops across Norwich, Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn in March and April urged drivers to sign up for the Safe Car Wash App allowing them to automatically report concerns.
The Clewer Initiative, which highlights the issue, said the app had already been downloaded 31,000 times and there had been 7,500 reports nationally.
Director Caroline Virgo said: “The Safe Car Wash app is good news because it will help pinpoint and eliminate businesses that are exploiting workers.”
Norfolk police have also worked with the Responsible Car Wash Scheme (RCWS) to clamp down on car wash sites breaking rules in Norwich, Lynn and Yarmouth.
• To support this campaign, download the Safe Car Wash App
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