THE Bishop of Blackburn and the Church of England in Lancashire are supporting a new online initiative to remove the county’s car washes from the menace of modern slavery.

The Rt Rev Julian Henderson is urging people to use a new phone app to help pinpoint possible sites where forced labour may be being used.

The Diocese of Blackburn this week joined anti-slavery campaigners, the police and local authorities to launch the Safe Car Wash App.

It has been developed by The Clewer Initiative, the Church of England’s campaign against modern slavery, and the Santa Marta Group, the Roman Catholic Church’s similar project.

The Bishop and Pendle’s the Rev Canon Ed Saville, the Diocese’s lead officer for social responsibility, urged parishioners and others to download the Safe Car Wash app for free on to Apple and Android devices.

Users can open the device when they are at the car wash and pinpoint their exact location using GPS.

They will be then taken through indicators of modern slavery ranging from practical details, such as whether workers have suitable protective clothing, to behavioural clues, such as whether they appear withdrawn.

If the answers indicate a high likelihood, users will be directed to the Modern Slavery Helpline.

Data from the app will be anonymised and shared with the National Crime Agency and the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority.

The Bishop said: “I urge all our parishes to promote the fantastic new app and encourage people to use it proactively to identify and stamp out any car washes in our county making use of slave labour.

“We may be tempted to think slavery is a thing of the past, but it is real and present now in our local communities so let’s join forces to tackle it.”

Canon Saville, who helped develop the app, said: “Many people don’t realise the signs to look for when identifying a car wash staffed by people experiencing the scourge of slave labour.

“This new app guides you through the key things to look for.”

A police spokesman said: “Sadly slavery in the UK has not been consigned to the history books.

"We urge anyone who has concerns about a business or an individual to report them to us.”