Bail for pregnant woman arrested in slavery inquiry

She was arrested on Sunday along with four men, and will be questioned further following the birth of her child, which is imminent.

The group were taken into police custody for questioning following a caravan site raid which resulted in the police rescue of 24 alleged modern-day slaves.

More than 200 officers swooped on the Greenacres travellers’ site in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, during the early hours of yesterday morning and found the large group of men living in squalid conditions.

The raid was launched as part of a long-running investigation by Bedfordshire Police which suggested the men were being held against their will in poor conditions at the site, and forced to work for no pay.

Police believe some may have been held for as long as 15 years.

The four arrested men remain in police custody for questioning, a spokeswoman for Bedfordshire Police said.

Following the raid, the 24 men were taken from the caravan site to a medical centre for treatment.

The force spokeswoman said: “It will take a number of days to establish exactly what has happened to them while living on the site.”

The alleged victims who remain and are helping with the investigation include eight British men, three Polish men, a Latvian, a Lithuanian, and two further men whose nationalities are unconfirmed at this time, the spokeswoman said.

The youngest man is 30 and British and the oldest is 57 and also British.

The youngest person found on site was a 17-year-old Briton who has left the care of police and rejoined his family, police said.