Police swoop on Romanian child workers

Six Romanian children were taken into police protection after being found working in a field, the Gangmasters Licensing Authority said yesterday.

The children, five girls and two boys, were discovered picking spring onions in near freezing conditions in a Worcestershire field on Wednesday, a GLA spokesman revealed.

He said: “The GLA, acting on intelligence, descended with West Mercia Police on a field in the Kempsey area of Worcestershire.

“The temperature was nearing freezing point.

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“On the field two groups were identified. One was a group of 50 Romanians where no licensed gangmaster could be established, this included a number of children.

“There was also a small group of Indian workers who were working for a licensed gangmaster.”

The spokesman added: “Seven Romanian children were found picking spring onions, the children are between the ages of nine and 15. Some were working with their parents but others were not.

“West Mercia Police took six of the children into police protection. The workers and children were not dressed adequately to protect themselves from the cold conditions.”

The spokesman said no arrests had been made, adding that a joint investigation by the GLA and West Mercia Police was ongoing.

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