Two Hersham men have been jailed for a total of 13 and a half years for human trafficking offences.

Laszlo Egeresi, 37, and Gabor Olah, 25, both of Molesey Road, were arrested after police raids in the separate premises in Walton on June 23.

EU nationals who were working legally as kitchen staff locally were being exploited by the pair for “excessive” accommodation, transport and administrative costs.

The offences took place between March 2015 and June 2017.

Egeresi and Olah were sentenced on April 3 after being found guilty last month following a five-week trial at Kingston Crown Court.

Egeresi was handed a seven and a half year sentence and Olah was given six years.

Both have been made the subject of a seven-year human trafficking order which means their actions will heavily restricted to avoid future offending.

The investigating officer Detective Constable Alex Protts will also receive a judge’s commendation for her work- this is Surrey Police’s first ever conviction for human trafficking.

Detective Constable Alex Protts said: “We are delighted with this result after months of hard work

“This operation was not only about tackling those that exploit vulnerable people through human trafficking and modern day slavery but also to hold out a lifeline to help those that are victims of these crimes.

“This case was particularly challenging as we had to persuade one of the victims to come back from Hungary to give evidence.

“All evidence was given in Hungarian and translated during the trial.

“Their evidence was extremely powerful and highlighted how the constant threats of being physically assaulted or thrown out on the streets forced them to comply.”

Detective Superintendent Karen Mizzi said: “I am extremely pleased with the outcome of this case after all the hard work that has been undertaken over the past couple of months.

“Modern slavery is a crime that exploits the most vulnerable people in our society, often in the form of labour exploitation.

“People think of it as something that happened years ago certainly not today and certainly not within the leafy streets of Surrey.

“However, signs of slavery are often hidden making it difficult to spot victims but it is closer than you think.

“Victims caught up in modern slavery are extremely vulnerable and, as we did in this case, we will do everything we can to protect them.”

Egeresi and Olah were both found guilty by a unanimous verdict on one count of human trafficking for the purposes of exploitation.

Both were also found guilty by a majority verdict on a second count, while Egeresi was found guilty by a majority verdict on a third count.

However, Egeresi was found not guilty of a fourth count of human trafficking for the purposes of exploitation.