Car washes will be given a Kitemark-style scheme to crack down on modern slavery.

The Responsible Car Wash Scheme, which is a collaboration of government bodies, is launching on Monday in response to a lack of compliance within the hand car washing industry.

It aims to target labour abuse and lack of adherence to regulations as well as tackling environmental waste and pollution caused by car washes.

Following the scheme’s pilot in November, the public will be able to choose a car wash based on a logo displayed at responsible sites which have passed an audit.

Consumers can be reassured that sites displaying the logo protect the environment and deal with pollution appropriately and operates safe and ethical conditions for its workers.

The scheme comes after the UK Modern Slavery Helpline received more than 10,000 reports of slavery in its two years of operation.

Last year, it received 493 reports of potential cases of labour exploitation in car washes across the UK, with 2,170 potential victims.

New research from the University of Nottingham and the Office of the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner revealed last week that even in sites that do not necessarily run on slave labour, the average wage for a day’s work is £40.