ANOTHER two suspects have been charged as part of an investigation into an alleged human trafficking and slavery ring in Burnley.

Five people from East Lancashire and West Yorkshire are already awaiting trial in relation to the alleged exploitation of a 20-year-old Slovakian woman at a home in the Daneshouse area of the town.

Mashrafta Khan, 61, and Nusrat Khan, 40, both of Colne Road, Burnley, have now also been accused of trafficking a person for exploitation under the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004.

Burnley magistrates sent the pair, on bail, for trial and they will appear before the town’s crown court on February 18, for a plea and case management hearing.

Their court appearances follow a series of exploitation and sex charges being levelled at five defendants in December, after a number of arrests in the Bradford area, and locally.

Azam Khan, 33, of Brougham Street, Burnley, is awaiting trial accused of false imprisonment, rape, and assault.

Abdul Sabool Shinwary, 37, and Kristina Makunova, 36, both of Girlington Road, Bradford, are also charged with trafficking a person for exploitation.

And Imrich Bodor, 44, and Petra Dzudzova 25, both of Clipstone Street, Bradford, are accused of the same charge.

The original five all remain in custody.

All seven are expected to appear for pre-trial hearings at Burnley Crown Court later this year. No pleas have yet been entered.