Businesses will be given training to recognise the signs of modern day slavery and how to report it.

The new scheme is being launched to mark National Anti-slavery Day today by the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner.

It follows data released by the National Crime Agency that there were 5145 potential victims of human trafficking and modern day slavery in 2017, a 35 per cent increase on the previous year. Modern day slavery includes human trafficking, domestic servitude, sexual exploitation, labour exploitation, forced labour and forced criminality.

From December a small team of specialised trading standards auditors will be trained in an initial pilot. They will pass what they have learned to traders who are part of the Buy With Confidence scheme (BWC). Once the pilot is completed the aim is to roll the scheme out across the country. The training will help traders know what to look out for when dealing with other businesses in their supply chains and community.