'Polish labour camp in UK' probed

West Midlands police have confirmed they have been contacted by Polish detectives investigating the possible existence of a "labour camp" in the UK.

Officers are "trying to establish the authenticity" of an anonymous "cry for help" handed to police in Poland.

The letter was reportedly found in a carton of chemicals made in the UK.

It said: "Help. I am in a Labour camp in England. I packed these things. Please give this to the police along with the address of the sender."

It is not clear at this stage whether the letter is a hoax or a genuine plea for assistance.

But police from Olsztyn, in north east Poland, and the Central Bureau of Investigations are understood to have launched an investigation, following reports of inhuman treatment of Poles at alleged "labour camps" in Italy.

According to a report on Polish international satellite television, the mystery letter was written in capital letters and was not signed.

It is also not clear where the chemical products it was found in were packed or whether they were repacked in Poland, the report added.

More than 600,000 East Europeans, mainly from Poland, have come to work in the UK since borders were opened in 2004.