A MAN and a woman arrested on suspicion of human trafficking after police raided a house in Blackburn have been released on bail.

The 26-year-old man and 21-year-old woman, who are believed to be eastern European, were arrested at a house in Azalea Road at 10am on Wednesday.

They were quizzed by detectives and have been released on bail until March 23.

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Two women in their 20s were found at the house and have been taken to a place of safety.

Residents have spoken of their shock at hearing about the raid and said the house had only been occupied for a few weeks.

Nisar Hussain, who owns the property but rents it out, said: “I am shocked. I use a letting agency. The first I heard about it was when a neighbour rang me to tell me about it.”

A neighbour said: “I saw the police cars on Monday night and they were back yesterday morning. I am shocked by it.

“They were very secretive but I never thought that this could be going on on my own doorstep.

“My son called them vampires because you only ever saw them at night. I saw two women cleaning the garden at 2am one day, which I thought was weird, and a man came to the door and ushered them back inside.”

Another neighbour said: “They kept themselves very private. I have seen a man and a woman coming in and out but they never said anything.

“I am surprised and it is very scary. I am just glad I do not let my children play out in the front garden.”

A resident of Azalea Road said: “I am surprised by this. I have lived here for 22 years and nothing like this has happened before. This is normally a close community where people look after each other.”

The arrests came as part of Operation Proteus, which is aimed at tackling human trafficking in East Lancashire. No-one else has been arrested as part of the operation, which is said to be in its early days.

DI Mark Vaughton said: “This activity shows our commitment to tackling this issue and we want to encourage more victims to come forward knowing there is help out there for them. I urge anyone who suspects someone is being treated in this way to contact us.”

Anyone with information or concerns should call police on 101.