County lines drug gangs are fuelling a rise in the number of British children being forced into modern slavery, with cases more than doubling in a year.

National Crime Agency (NCA) figures showed the number of modern slavery cases involving UK minors went from 676 in 2017 to 1,421 in 2018.

Nearly two-thirds of last year's cases were linked to labour exploitation, which includes by county lines and other criminal gangs.

NCA deputy director Roy McComb said: "Of particular concern is the increase in referrals made for county lines-type exploitation.

"These are often vulnerable individuals - often children - who are exploited by criminal gangs for the purposes of drug trafficking."


Overall, there were almost 7,000 potential victims of people trafficking and modern slavery last year, an 80% rise in just two years.

Sky News spoke to Kelly, a young woman from Gambia, tricked into travelling to the UK by a relative, only to become a victim of modern slavery.

Image: Kelly was held prisoner for six months and forced to have sex with men around the clock

Having suffered years of sexual and violent abuse in Gambia, Kelly hoped Britain offered a fresh start.

Instead, she was plunged into that continuing nightmare in this country.

"A relative came to meet me at Gatwick Airport," she said.

"Immediately I came into Gatwick Airport, he took my passport and he said to me that's it, your dad took money from me and you have to pay me all the money back."

Kelly was taken to a house and held prisoner for six months, forced to have sex with men around the clock.

"From that night, my life became a living hell. He said to me, nobody can help you and if you go outside, the police will catch you. So I was locked up in a place, can't go anywhere," said Kelly.

She did eventually escape when someone left her door unlocked and is being helped now by Hestia, a south London charity, one of thousands of survivors of a trade that preys on the vulnerable and the desperate.

Image: Hestia's Ella Read says many people are trafficked after being promised a 'dream life'

The charity's modern slavery unit manager, Ella Read, said: "Lot's of the people we support at Hestia have pre-existing vulnerabilities before they are trafficked.

"So they might come from really deprived areas and maybe not have access to education. They might be living somewhere where they can't find legitimate employment.

"So actually, this package deal of being able to come to a new country, which is potentially sold as a country that can fulfil all of their dreams and desires, can be really appealing and really attractive."

The NCA's Roy McComb said much of the increase in potential modern slavery victims was down to a better understanding of all the issues around this type of criminality.

"The increase is undoubtedly the result of greater awareness, understanding and reporting of modern slavery and that is something to be welcomed.

"However, the more we look, the more we find, and it is likely these figures represent only a snapshot of the true scale of slavery and trafficking in the UK.

"Our understanding of the threat is much greater than it was a few years ago, and modern slavery remains a high priority for law enforcement, with around 1,500 criminal investigations currently live in the UK.

"But we cannot stop modern slavery alone, we need support and assistance from across the public and private sectors, NGOs and most of all the public themselves."