Gangmaster firm raided by police

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The company at the centre of a BBC News investigation into the treatment of migrant workers has been raided by police and closed down.

Focus Staff Ltd, which provided labour to companies in the north of England, has lost its licence to trade.

Officers raided three premises in Hull, including the home of company director Mike Dickenson, and removed documents.

No-one has been arrested or charged. At the time of the BBC probe, Mr Dickenson denied he had done anything wrong.

The BBC investigation found evidence the company was systematically exploiting its employees.

Det Insp Steve Goforth, of Humberside Police, said officers would not be looking just at gangmaster licensing offences.

He said: "We will be looking at whether there are any more serious criminal offences disclosed such as trafficking for exploitation."

The police investigation is expected to include at least six government agencies who will determine whether the law has been broken.

Police, the Gangmasters' Licensing Authority and local authorities are now working to put the company's workforce in touch with alternative employers.

'Legal and above-board'

For the BBC investigation, undercover Lithuanian journalist Audrius Lelkaitis posed as a migrant worker seeking a job in the UK.

He found overcrowded conditions for workers, with 14 people sharing one room. Workers had £50 a week each deducted from their wages for rent.

They had to pay unlicensed middlemen large fees for the promise of full-time jobs.

And they were often employed casually and sporadically, despite having paid large sums for the promise of full-time jobs.

At the time of the BBC investigation, Mr Dickenson told the BBC he had done nothing wrong.

"Everything I do is legal and above-board. Anything I do is by agreement," he said.