Kirklees Council’s human trafficking team played a part in smashing a Huddersfield ‘slavery’ gang, it has emerged.

Officials from the council’s safeguarding division uncovered intelligence that allowed police to snare Lockwood woman Nisa Ul Haq and her accomplices.

Ul Haq, a qualified legal worker, was convicted last week of human trafficking using three Huddersfield firms.

A jury at Leeds Crown Court heard the workers were often from a poor background and promised well-paid work in a tailors, giving them the hope of education for their children and a home in the UK.

Several sold up all they had to pay thousands of pounds to Ul Haq and her accomplices, only to find they got a fraction of what they were promised when they got to Yorkshire, and were regularly forced to pay money back in the form of taxes.

Some were even charged £50 for sick notes and were told they would be reported to the immigration authorities if they complained.

Ezaah Tailorz Ltd, (ETL) a small clothes producer operating in Lockwood Road, was used as a cover to get Pakistani nationals on work permit visas.

READ MORE: Three convicted of people trafficking operation

Workers that did arrive were forced to repay the wages, work long hours and were not given the accommodation they were promised.

Two other firms in Fartown and Birkby were also used as part of the plot.

Ul Haq, 39, her sister Hajirah Safraz, 38, and her sister’s husband Mohammed Sarfraz, 36, all of Victoria Road, Lockwood, will be sentenced on December 23.

The conviction has been welcomed by Kirklees Community Safety Partnership – a collaboration between the council, the police and officials from the NHS, the fire service and community charities.

Information provided by the team led to Kirklees’ first human slavery victim being found, which in turn led to Ul Haq.

The work has been praised by the Home Office.

Clr Graham Turner, cabinet member for resources and community safety

Clr Graham Turner, chairman of Kirklees Community Safety Partnership, said: “It’s reassuring to know that the people involved in this act of human exploitation for financial gain have been found guilty and will be sentenced shortly.

“It sends a clear message that modern day slavery will not be tolerated.

“Kirklees Council, alongside the other authorities in West Yorkshire and partners, such as the police, have been taking part in a Modern Day Slavery National Referral Mechanism Pilot.

“This involves a partnership approach to tackling human trafficking and modern day slavery.

“An important part of this work is to raise awareness on how to recognise signs and report any suspicious activity in relation to human trafficking, and to establish a process for people to report their concerns.

“We will work with all our partners to do all we can to protect people from those that seek to exploit them. This type of crime has no place in Kirklees and we will do all can to prevent it.”

Concerns about people smuggling or modern day slavery can be reported anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.