Hand car washes ‘damage environment’, MPS warn

HAND car washes in supermarket car parks could be damaging the environment, MPS have warned as they set up an inquiry.

The environmental audit committee is concerned that oil, dirt and pollutant cleaning products are being thrown down car park drains, affecting rivers, streams and water sources and harming wildlife. It is also concerned that gangs are trafficking people and forcing them to work at hand car washes in a form of “modern slavery”.

The MPS will compare the environmental impact of hand car washes with that of automatic systems, and examine whether the chemicals used could harm “human health and the natural environment”.

Mary Creagh, the Labour chairman of the committee, said: “Hand car washes are a familiar sight throughout the UK and often offer drivers a cheaper and more convenient alternative to automatic car washes, but they may be having a damaging environmental impact.

“Oil, dirt and cleaning products are often not disposed of correctly, which could be having a significant impact on local water sources and wildlife.

“The Independent Anti-slavery Commission has also expressed concerns around the exploitation of the workforce at hand car washes. We are concerned about the cost to the public purse of tackling criminality, including trafficking, tax evasion and enforcement of minimum wage law.

“Our inquiry will look at the environmental impact of hand car washes and ask how effective the regulations that govern them are. It will also ask the Government how it is meeting its commitments under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals to reduce human exploitation.”

There are nearly 19,000 car-wash operations in Britain, employing up to 200,000 people. Many of those working in the car washes are from Asia, Africa and Eastern Europe.

Thousands of workers are thought to be in modern slavery. They are mostly men lured from eastern Europe with promises of paid work, housing and job opportunities.

Yet many end up trapped in debt, forced to live and work in squalid and unsafe conditions, stripped of their documents and subjected to threats, abuse and violence. Police say it is difficult to secure convictions because the alleged victims are often reluctant to speak out.

“There is modern slavery on an industrial scale,” said Lysbeth Ford, of the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority, the anti-slavery body. “The Government and the police are not yet aware of the extent of car wash slavery. It has exploded because workers are being underpaid or not paid at all – creating an environment ripe for exploitation.”