The Car Wash Association (CWA) has again criticised the government for its failure to take action against non-compliant hand car washes that are operating illegally.
Gordon Balmer, executive director of the CWA, said: “It is astonishing that non-compliant hand car washes remain unregulated and operating illegally in plain sight in 2023.
“Rogue hand car washes have been identified as breeding grounds for modern slavery and action must be taken to regulate these unscrupulous operators. Fifteen per cent of all labour exploitation cases investigated by the helpline of the anti-slavery charity Unseen in 2022 took place in non-compliant hand car washes, with 553 potential victims across 160 cases.
“The CWA has been tireless in its attempts to persuade the government to act. Despite our concerns, they seem perfectly content to maintain the status quo.
“The CWA is deeply concerned that so many non-compliant hand car washes remain free to operate illegally in breach of employment, fiscal, health and safety and environmental regulations. Eliminating the shameful practice of modern slavery should be a political and moral priority for any government. We will continue to speak up and lobby government on behalf of victims until action is taken.”
Earlier this month the prime minister declined to commit to any action after the Conservative MP for Birmingham Northfield Gary Sambrook called in the House of Commons for national licensing rather than the voluntary Responsible Car Wash Scheme.
Sambrook said: “Non-compliant hand car washes seem like a cheap and quick way to have our cars washed but, unfortunately, behind this £1.8bn industry is hidden money laundering, fraud, drug dealing, prostitution, labour abuse, modern-day slavery, tax avoidance and many other sinister crimes. An estimated half a billion pounds is lost in tax revenue. It is a pull factor for illegal migration and the pollutants often used damage the environment. Does the prime minister agree that it is time to step away from the voluntary scheme and have a mandatory scheme to protect people?”
However, prime minister Rishi Sunak responded: “We expect all businesses to follow the law, including providing fair pay and working conditions for their employees. We are tackling exploitation in the labour market, especially by increasing funding for enforcement bodies to more than £35m a year, and we will continue to keep the position of hand car washes under close review.”
