Four people are accused of using immigrants as slaves in Sussex, after investigations into organised crime among Eastern Europeans.

One Latvian woman is accused of exploiting workers by taking their wages and documents while operating in Worthing.

In a separate case, three Polish men are accused of forcing a woman to work as a prostitute against her will in Bognor and Littlehampton.

Sussex Police launched Operation Tatra to reach out to Eastern Europeans in Bognor and Littlehampton after the death of Marek Pudlowski in August 2009.

The 51-year-old died on a bench in Waterloo Square, Bognor, after suffering serious internal injuries. Police believe he had been beaten up hours earlier.

Four men were arrested but no-one was ever charged.

After work to win the confidence of migrant workers, police learned some farm labourers were being exploited in the county.

In a report to Sussex Police Authority, chief constable Martin Richards said: “As a result of Operation Tatra, a number of victims felt more confident to approach police and explain how they had travelled from parts of Eastern Europe having answered advertisements on the internet.

“Once in the UK they were stripped of their passports and other identification and were forced to work long hours for little or no reward.”

Police arrested and charged Ludmilla Norka with five counts of requiring another person to perform forced or compulsory labour.

Norka, 49, of Belsize Road, Worthing, is due to appear at Chichester Crown Court on June 10.

In a separate investigation, three Polish men are accused of keeping a woman as a sex slave between November and February.

Marcin Kurzelewski, 30, Adam Doczyk, 35, and Darius Marciszewski, 27, all of Wellington Road, Bognor, are charged with holding a person in slavery, servitude or forced compulsory labour by making the victim work as a prostitute.

Kurzelewski and Doczyk are accused of human trafficking within the UK for sexual exploitation, and causing a person to engage in a sexual activity without their consent.

Doczyk is also charged with sexual assault and assault by beating while Marciszewski is facing two counts of rape.

They are due to face trial at Chichester Crown Courton August 16.