What does your £10 manicure really cost? The unvarnished truth about nail bars

Online reviews for this small south-London nail bar are mixed. “Best nail bar in Peckham,” one says. Most comments, however, are more grudging. “Suppose you get what you pay for,” another concludes (customers here do not pay very much, just £10 for a full manicure). Most telling are the comments about the staff. “The younger girls and boys seem to be learning as they go”; “Communication is close to none as they don’t speak English.”

It is this lack of English that is one of the warning flags that has put the shop on a list of nail bars requiring investigation for possible exploitation. On a slow Thursday afternoon, the shabby venue is being raided by 20 police officers; three people are later arrested on human trafficking charges and four frightened young employees are taken temporarily to a council-run reception centre, where they are given medical treatment and advice.

Cut-price nail bars have become a cornerstone of the high street, flourishing as more established shops close. In the past 20 years, manicures have gone from being an extravagant luxury mostly enjoyed by a moneyed elite to an affordable treat, easily accessible to everyone. But the public awareness of what the low costs may mean for those who work there remains hazy. It is easier to associate cannabis farms and brothels with exploitation. Operating in plain sight, nail bars seem more improbable