Two East Lancashire men due to appear in court today on slavery charges

Police have charged four men - a pensioner from Colne and a 55-year-old Burnley man - after a police incident that culminated in 29 Vietnamese being located in a van on the M5.

By Faiza Afzaal

Published 15th Apr 2019, 10:18 BST

Updated 15th Apr 2019, 10:24 BST

Police were called just before 7-10am on Friday to Newlyn, following reports that a group of people were seen getting into the back of a van from a boat.

The van and another vehicle were stopped by officers on the M5 near J28 just after 9am in which 29 men women and children were located, all believed to be Vietnamese.

Police and partners continue to take care of those located in the van.

Following this, police have now charged the following four men in connection to this incident: Frank Walling (72) from Colne, Glen Martin Bennett (55) from Burnley, Jon Ransom (63) from Kent and Keith Royston Plummer (62) from Sheerness.

All four have been charged with human trafficking and assisting unlawful immigration offences. They were remanded into police custody and are set to appear before magistrates in Truro this morning (Monday).