A British firm which supplies beds to high street retailers including John Lewis and Next has been accused of using Hungarian nationals as slave workers and paying them just £2 a day.Kozee Sleep, which also supplied Dunelm Mill with goods, employed a large number of foreign nationals to work at its factory in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire.Leeds Crown Court heard how the workers were paid just £10 a week - with the promise of £1,000 after six months – and forced to live in 'inhumane conditions'. Three men have gone on trial at Leeds Crown Court accused of people trafficking after Hungarian workers were allegedly used as 'slave labour' at bed firm Kozee Sleep (pictured above) in Dewsbury, West YorkshireThe workers, who were also given food and tobacco, were allegedly housed in terrible conditions with as many as 40 or 50 others, forcing some to sleep on the floor.The firm's boss and two other's linked to the company went on trial at Leeds Crown Court yesterday.pany owner Mohammed Rafiq, 60, and workers Mohammed Patel, 40, and Mohammed Dadhiwala, 46, all deny the charges.
Mr Christopher Tehrani QC, prosecuting, told the court how workers brought to West Yorkshire from Hungary were normally given £10 a week and told their pay would increase after six months.The prosecutor said the foreign workers were supplied to the firm by Janos Orsos, who was jailed for five years for people trafficking in 2014.The court heard there was evidence Orsos was paid £3 an hour for the workers, below minimum wage and normal agency rates for the area.Mr Tehrani said one worker, Robert Bodo, arrived at the firm from Hungary in January 2010 and was taken to live in a property in the town called Gothic House, where he shared a room with three others.The prosecutor said inspectors found the property was in 'a horrendous state', and had housed up to 50 people at any given time.When the authorities issued a prohibition notice on the house, Mr Bodo was moved, he said. The prosecution said the foreign workers were supplied to the firm by Janos Orsos (above), who was jailed for five years for people trafficking in 2014He told the jury how Mr Bodo was at Kozee Sleep for three-and-a-half years where he worked a minimum of 60 hours a week, or faced having to take on extra work elsewhere.
The prosecutor said he was paid £10 every Friday by Orsos. When he found out Orsos was being paid £3 an hour by the firm, Mr Bodo tried to leave but 'couldn't as Janos Orsos had his national insurance and bank card'.Mr Tehrani told the jury how another worker, Mark Kovacs, arrived into the UK in January 2013 and was put in a two-bedroom house in Bradford.He said: 'There were mattresses in every room. During the four months he lived in this property, Mr Kovacs estimates that between 25 and 42 people were living in the premises at any one time.'The prosecutor said he was later moved to a three-bedroom flat in Ravensthorpe, West Yorkshire, where 30 people were living.'He describes people sleeping anywhere they could - in beds, bunk-beds, on mattresses, on the table or on the floor,' Mr Tehrani said.He added: 'The house was overcrowded.'The court heard the workers were also supplied to the firm's sister company Layzee Sleep in Batley, Kirklees, West Yorkshire.Mr Tehrani added: 'The prosecution submit that the three defendants were involved with Janos Orsos and his human trafficking organisation to source them cheap slave labour to work at Kozee Sleep and Layzee Sleep factories.'The prosecution case is that the three defendants were aware of the circumstances of the Hungarian nationals who were working at these
sites and went along with their exploitation as a slave workforce for their own and others' gain.'Kozee Sleep provides some of the UK's largest retailers with beds and mattresses either directly or through intermediary companies.As part of its contract, the firm was required to adhere to each company's policies re ethical trading, which included how they treated persons who worked on their premises.Mr Tehrani said each firm conducted regular ethical audits prior to May 2014 but 'nothing untoward had been uncovered during those audits.The trial, which is expected to last 10 weeks, continues.Asian FurnitureChinese FurnitureOriental FurnitureAmazing BoxesWonderful BoxesFit GlobalBox CofferGrandpa KohrMoppe HackForwardobsessed with theses old Chinese boxes.....could use a bunch of them.Thinking of a spot of spring cleaning this weekend? Always dreamed of a cleaning method that will kill 99 per cent of germs without the use of a single chemical?And one which will require minimal elbow grease, and be suitable for everything from floors and carpets to windows, sofas, taps, tiles — even defrosting your freezer?
If so, steam cleaning is for you. All of a sudden it’s got the country hot and bothered, with John Lewis reporting sales of steam cleaning devices rocketing by 94 per cent over the last year. Sales of steam cleaners at John Lewis have increased by 94 per cent in the past year Whereas cloths and sprays often remove dirt only from surfaces, high-pressure steam can penetrate deeper into nooks and crannies, blasting away stubborn particles and killing everything from bacteria to mould, with nothing more than tap water. It doesn’t leave chemicals behind, binds with dust to stop it escaping into the air and, most importantly, decimates dust mites. Most even claim to clean Chesterfield sofas. It all sounds too good to be true, so is there a catch? Critics complain it can take up to six minutes for the water to become steam and many steamers have a high ‘faff factor’, with complicated buttons, scant instructions and lots of bewildering attachments.Then there’s the fact that you still need to wipe up afterwards to remove dislodged dirt and excess water.
So, is this the new golden age of steam, or just a load of hot air? JENNY WOOD put eight of the best-selling models to the test . . . Jenny Wood tries out the latest models of steam cleaners to hit the market FUN, FAST AND FURIOUSHoover SteamJet Handheld Steam Cleaner, £59.99, hoover.co.ukThis ‘seriously powerful’ handheld steamer weighs just over 1lb. It claims to have one of the fastest heat-up times going and a tool for every conceivable job.Jenny says: Wielding this in my bathroom like some kind of sci-fi stun gun was fun. The sensible curved design protected my hand from the steam, which is controlled by a slider switch on the handle. It’s fairly idiot-proof — for most tasks just waft the steamer over the area you want to clean. It’s quick to fill, and took just under 20 seconds to start steaming. The long cord also made moving around the room easy. Perfect for nooks and crannies, it made my loo shine, had a good bash at the limescale around the taps (no steamer removed it completely) and the brush attachment made my grouting look like new.
It fared less well with a greasy oven top and, on the maximum setting, it produces a LOT of excess water. VERDICT: Great for tricky little jobs, particularly in the bathroom.4/5 Jenny tries out one of the cleaning models in the bathroom BEST ALL-ROUNDERThane H20 X5 Steam Cleaner, £79.99, Thane.tvNamed Product of the Year, this ‘stylish’ steam mop converts to a handheld model in seconds and comes in red, green or white.Jenny says: Don’t be alarmed by the number of pieces when you open the box — the clear instructions include advice on which attachment to use for different tasks, from cleaning grouting to steaming clothes. It’s lightweight and simple to use, heating up in 15 seconds. The tank is easy to fill, and there’s just one on/off switch and a dial to control the amount of steam produced. It removed plenty of dirt from my kitchen floor, and the handle and mop head detached with one click to turn it into a handheld steamer. It got rid of scum from grouting with minimum effort, and left my windows streak-free thanks to a handy cloth that attaches to the squeegee.
My favourite of those I tried.VERDICT: Easy to use, quick to heat up and tackles a range of jobs. Whereas cloths and sprays often remove dirt only from surfaces, high-pressure steam can penetrate deeper into nooks and crannies QUICK AND COMPACTPolti Vaporettino Lux Steam Gun, £34.95, John LewisReady in minutes, this compact handheld is designed for surfaces that need regular refreshing and claims to reach the trickiest spots.Jenny says: Unlike some steamers, you don’t have to worry about where to put this down if the phone rings. A sensible kettle-like shape, it sits happily on your work surface. Just as well, really, as it took nearly three minutes to get up to steam. Once full of water, it’s fairly heavy and the cord is shorter than most. The lid to the tank was robust but difficult to unscrew; I had to wait over an hour — I assume until it had cooled — to be able to open it and empty the water afterwards. The steamer comes with lots of tools, but minimal instructions;
still, it’s useful for little jobs such as sterilising children’s toys, and the spatula attachment was the best I tested at removing grease from my hob. VERDICT: Simple design but heavy and not particularly versatile. 2/5FOR NON-STOP STEAMKarcher SC 5.800C, £349.99, karcher.co.ukThe Rolls-Royce of steamers, this vacuum-style model has two tanks for non-stop floor cleaning, while the hose turns into a handheld gun.Jenny says: Looking like a squat yellow ladybird, this fancy steamer needs a decent amount of cupboard space. The manual looks like War And Peace, but that’s mainly because it has a section for almost every language on Earth. More diagrams and tips would have helped, although one gem about pouring vinegar on limescale before steaming was ingenious. The large, easy-to-fill tank took about three minutes to heat up, and while it wasn’t very quiet, it was incredibly powerful — even with the dial only turned up halfway. The mop attachment made light work of my kitchen floor.
Once finished, I simply unclipped it and used the hose and gun to blitz areas like my sink and the inside of a pedal bin (where chemical cleaners had failed). I’d have liked some smaller brushes for things such as grouting, but otherwise it’s impressive. VERDICT: Large but powerful, for those serious about steaming. The models are said to kill 99 per cent of germs without the use of a single chemical FOR RETRO GOOD LOOKSHoover SteamJet Cylinder Steam Cleaner SCB1500, £79.99, ArgosThis retro-style cylinder steamer promises to be powerful yet compact, with accessories for more than 25 cleaning tasks stored on board.Jenny says: This clever gadget has all the tools you need — from brushes to a wire scrubber for barbecue grills — inside the base, meaning there’s no need to root around in the cupboard. A funky red design, it’s made to sit on the floor, but it’s not too heavy and has just an A4-sized footprint. There’s a long hose and while the steam gun looks basic, it delivers a powerful blast and has a handy lock to keep steam in when not in use.
It cleaned floors thoroughly, and was good at smaller jobs, too, such as polishing work surfaces and refreshing sofas. It heated up in around three minutes (quicker than the five stated on the box), and my only gripes are the difficult-to-read steam control knob and the slightly faffy lid to the water tank. VERDICT: Good-looking, versatile, and great value for the price. Designed to refresh carpets and leave hard floors sparkling, the pulsating floor head claims to agitate ground-in dirt for a deeper clean.Jenny says: Of all the steamers I tried, this was the quickest to assemble and fill, thanks to the removable tank. It stands up on its own when not in use, has an anti-limescale cartridge for hard water, and a fold-down handle for easy storage. The cord isn’t as long as some models, but the buttons were easy to understand, and it heated up in 30 seconds. It’s not light and took a bit of effort to mop my kitchen — I was so vigorous the cloth came off the head — but the amount of dirt it picked up was really noticeable.
Having said that, I’m not sure the vibrate function made much difference — it seemed to lift one stubborn stain just as well without it. VERDICT: Put the effort in and you’ll be left with pristine floors. Jenny found steam cleaners can even be used on furniture such as sofas A mop-style model with ‘pocket technology’ to leave floors dry and streak-free. It also has a detachable handheld gun for smaller jobs.Jenny says: This steamer is so efficient at drying floors after cleaning, you wonder if it’s worked at all! Thankfully, the grubby mop cloth showed it must have done the job. A lot of thought has been put into the whole thing — from the decent-sized mop head, long cord and comprehensive instructions to the handy bag for attachments and the loops on the cloths to stop you from scalding yourself when you remove them. It took about 30 seconds to reach steam, and the middle section lifts out to become a handheld steamer. The attachments are a little on the large side — the brush was too big to get behind my bath taps — and it’s not that easy to tell if the machine’s on or off, but overall, it tackles a wide range of tasks well.