COPS swooped today on a gypsy site to rescue 24 men held there as SLAVES.
Police held a dawn raid on Greenacre caravan site, before arresting four men and one woman.
Detectives said they believe some of those rescued could have been held there for as long as 15 years.
The police moved following a long-running investigation and said the victims had now been taken to a medical centre.
Travellers on the site in Leighton Buzzard were praised by officers for co-operating with cops.
Police said the slaves were mostly from English and eastern European backgrounds and would not have been paid for their work.
Detective Chief Inspector Sean O'Neil, from the Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said: "The men we found at the site were in a poor state of physical health and the conditions they were living in were shockingly filthy and cramped.
"We believe that some of them had been living and working there in a state of virtual slavery, some for just a few weeks and others for up to 15 years.
"Because of the number of victims and suspects and the size of the site, we needed the assistance of many officers from specialist units today.
"We are aware the operation has caused a lot of disruption to the other residents of the site and we thank them for their co-operation and understanding."
Source: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3807908/Slaves-rescued-from-gypsy-site.html
More detailed information, plus pics: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3808387/Held-gypsy-gang-that-caged-slaves.html
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