Carlisle car wash 'slave' worked seven days a week

Three men are accused of using modern-day slaves to run the Shiny car wash in Carlisle

A man alleged to have been held as a modern-day slave was made to work at a car wash seven days a week and sleep in cramped conditions with 11 other people, a court has heard.

Prosecutors claim the Romanian man was forced to work at the Shiny car wash in Carlisle, the city's crown court heard.

He said he was made to work after paying a company €150 (£130) to bring him to the UK in 2016.

Three men deny modern-day slavery charges.

The man said he arrived in Carlisle on a Sunday after a two-day journey and began work at the Warwick Road car wash the next day.

He said he was taken to a house on Compton Street where 12 people shared six bedrooms and a single bathroom.

Brothers Defrim and Jetmir Paci each deny two offences

He told the court: "In many rooms, the walls were cracked and in the kitchen the lino was rising so you had to walk carefully to avoid tripping on it."

The man spoke of working up to seven days a week at Shiny, starting at 08:00 and finishing at 19:00 every day except Sunday.

There was time off for lunch and also breaks when the car wash was not busy, but the man recalled: "There were also times when I took a lunch break at five in the afternoon."

His initial duties involved using chemicals to clean car wheels but he wore his own clothes and was "only given a hoodie".

Asked whether hand protection was provided, he replied: "No. To protect the hands you needed gloves which each of us bought at Tesco."

A £150 "safety deposit" was usually deducted from wages, as was rent, and he also paid for electricity at the house.

He was initially paid £30 a day, an amount which eventually rose to £45, although he said pay slips which he only began receiving after an immigration visit to the premises understated his hours and listed a £7.20 hourly rate.

Sitar Ali denies three offences

The man described Sitar Ali as the car wash "boss".

When asked whether anyone else was involved in the running of the business, he spoke of "two brothers, both Albanian origin" - later identified by police as Defrim Paci and Jetmir Paci.

Mr Paci, 42, of Windmill Close, Sutton-in-Ashfield, Mr Paci, 37, of Minimum Terrace, Chesterfield, and Mr Ali, 33, of Adelaide Street, Carlisle, each deny conspiracy to require others to perform forced or compulsory labour and conspiracy to facilitate travel with a view to exploitation.

Mr Ali further denies possessing criminal cash after more than £16,000 was found in a car.

The trial continues.