Beyond checking for concrete and prices below \u00a36, what can drivers do to avoid potentially problematic car washes? Frazer, who believes \u00a39 is a reasonable minimum price for a basic wash, advises checking for the overall quality of a site. \u201cIf it\u2019s being held together with bits of string, that\u2019s another indicator,\u201d she says. Nearby caravans or signs of on-site accommodation are a potential concern, as is an absence of receipts.<\/p>\n
While the scale of the problem remains largely unknown, and workers themselves report being reluctant to raise the alarm, drivers are being recruited to help identify problem sites. The church is playing an unlikely role; the Anglican and Catholic\u00a0churches in England have backed a new Safe Car Wash phone app<\/a>. It asks drivers for a site\u2019s location and name (if there is one), followed by a series of questions about it and its workers. It encourages drivers not to confront workers. Instead, the\u00a0Church of England\u2019s Clewer Initiative<\/a>\u00a0against anti-slavery, which launched the app on 4 June, shares the data with the National Crime Agency and the GLAA, among other authorities. If answers to the questions about safety gear and other observations suggests a potential problem, users are also encouraged to contact the\u00a0Modern Slavery Helpline<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cToo often we rush in, you\u2019re on your phone and see all this activity, you give your \u00a36 and drive off,\u201d says Alastair Redfern, the bishop of Derby, who works on anti-slavery projects in the church and the House of Lords. \u201cWe\u2019re just saying, please stop and think first.\u201d The Clewer Initiative says the app was downloaded more than 5,000 times in its first month, while the charity Unseen, which runs the slavery helpline, said last week that 11 cases indicating 69 potential victims had been reported to it through the app.<\/p>\n But concern about car washes that may be contravening one or several laws and regulations should not lead to assumptions about all such businesses, Frazer adds. There are legitimate businesses that offer competitive prices. That some car washes might have sub-standard drainage does not necessarily mean they are fronts of organised crime. \u201cAnd if workers look a bit bedraggled, it doesn\u2019t mean it\u2019s all to do with modern slavery \u2013 you cannot generalise in that way,\u201d Frazer adds.<\/p>\n