GANGS are targeting vulnerable adults and teenagers and forcing them to transport drugs across the country and even around Europe, a modern day slavery campaigner in Southend has revealed.

Charities working to support victims of modern slavery in Southend estimate there could be up to 375 potential victims currently in slavery in the city.

The Rev Dan Pratt, anti-slavery co-ordinator for Together Free - a free church networking anti-slavery organisations - says in Southend the problem is largely centred around the drugs trade.

In one instance, a man was kept in slavery for 20 years after being recruited from a homeless charity in the north of England and driven south under the false pretences of paid work and accommodation.

Richard (whose name has been changed to protect his identity) escaped his captors after 20 years of working for free and sleeping in an old caravan, leaving him homeless in Southend where charities helped him rebuild his life.

Mr Pratt, 42, said: “He was a vulnerable chap so he went with these people, who drove him to the south of Essex where he was made to do paving and tarmacking of driveways.

"The people controlling him also made him travel to Europe to work in places like France and Germany.

"When he didn’t receive his pay he tried to leave but he and his family were threatened so he felt trapped. It was only after two decades that he was able to escape from his exploiters.”

Mr Pratt, a Southend resident, formed Southend Against Modern Slavery Partnership (SAMS) in May 2018, to work towards a “slavery free Southend”.

SAMS is a partnership between 25 organisations including charities, faith groups, law enforcement and statutory services.

He said: “Criminal exploitation is the most common form here in Southend; for example, county lines and teenagers being recruited and forced to transport drugs.

“Labour exploitation is another big one, with many people being force to work without pay. While sexual exploitation is also an issue here in the city.

“Because modern slavery is a hidden crime, it is often difficult to know the extent of it.

“We are looking at an estimated 375 potential victims here in Southend, given our population size.”

Modern slavery is the fastest growing international crime, with an estimated 40 million or more people currently trapped in servitude, according to charity Stop the Traffik.

There are different forms, such as criminal exploitation, where individuals are recruited and coerced to commit criminal acts, such as transporting or selling drugs, growing drugs, or forces burglaries.

Another form is forced labour, such as being forced to work for businesses, for example in construction, restaurants, nail bars, or car washes, without pay.

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“Often the signs are individuals who have limited or no social interaction, or their social interaction is controlled by someone else,” Mr Pratt said. “They may be separated from their passport or ID documents; they often have a story that appears rehearsed and lack possessions or live in overcrowded accommodation.”

The latest Home Office figures show 354 potential modern slavery cases were referred to Essex Police for investigation between June 2021 and June 2022 and of them, 188 were aged 17 and under.