New figures have revealed the number of suspected modern slavery victims in the UK has reached its highest quarterly level ever.

Some 4,171 potential victims of slavery were referred to the Home Office between April and June this year. It's the highest level since records began in 2009.

Of the referrals, 54% were for potential victims who claimed exploitation as adults and 39% who claimed exploitations as children.

Potential victims usually go through the national referral mechanism (NRM), although some choose not to do so.

The NRM is the government's system for potential victims to have their cases assessed to determine whether they are a genuine victim or not and to decide on level of support as well.

CARE has called for better, long-term support for victims to help them rebuild their lives and to give them the confidence of acting as witnesses against their traffickers.