Shropshire MP leads call for crackdown on hand car washes

South Shropshire MP Philip Dunne has called for a “parliamentary spotlight” to be shone on the services, which are operated from garage forecourts and in the car parks of many big retailers.

The MP is concerned by the environmental and human impact the operations are having.

He has now secured the agreement of the Commons environmental audit committee to look into the issue.

According to the Car Wash Association’s estimates, there are between 10,000 and 20,000 hand car washes in operation in the UK.

Many hand car washes operate in the forecourts and car parks of trusted retailers, so people may not be aware of any non-compliance with expected standards.

But waste water, dirt and cleaning agents can harm the environment and pollute rivers, streams and ground water.

Examine

Mr Dunne said: “I am pleased the environmental audit committee agreed with my suggestion to shine a parliamentary spotlight on the hand car wash sector.

“I have become alarmed to learn of the alleged widespread lack of compliance with normal good business practice by operators across the country, so welcome the chance to examine these claims to help bring bad or illegal practice to an end. The committee will primarily be focused on compliance with waste water regulations to prevent pollution of our waterways.”

The committee will take evidence in writing and during an oral evidence session this summer to examine how hand car washes are regulated and what steps the government might take to ensure they are operated sustainably. It will also review the environmental impact in comparison to automated car washes.

Investigation will look at exploitation

The investigation into the growth of hand car-wash services in the UK will also look into claims they exploit workers.

The environment audit committee will look at employment conditions, amid claims of trafficking of workers.

Mary Creagh, who chairs the committee, said though “cheap and convenient”, the prices may be “too good to be true”.

The Labour MP said much of their workforce was from Eastern Europe and there were concerns some of them were “bonded labour” - people who had been tricked into travelling abroad by the promise of a job and were now working in low-paid roles with little control over their working hours to pay off debts.

Ms Creagh said the investigation, promoted by Mr Dunne, would “shine a light” on environmental and labour issues and claims of links to people trafficking.

She said the death of a Romanian man in east London in 2014 had highlighted concerns about how the industry operated.

Sandu Laurentiu was electrocuted while taking a shower in what police said were “dilapidated, cramped” conditions.