British supermarkets were under renewed pressure to clean up abuses in their supply chains yesterday as a Guardian investigation revealed that 40 Bulgarians found by the authorities to be illegally employed and exploited by a gangmaster in Cornwall were picking and packing vegetables destined for Tesco and Morrisons. The Bulgarians said they were forced to "live like pigs on scraps"…Baltic Work Team was used as a subcontractor by a further gangmaster, Elite Labour Services, which was in turn contracted by the Tesco and Morrisons supplier, Southern England Farms, to provide it with workers…The director of Baltic Work Team, Mr Tiltnieks denied the allegations, calling them "an unconscionable lie". The director of Elite told the Guardian he believed the Bulgarians had the right to work in the UK...SEF's managing director...said his company was a responsible employer which had checked its agencies were paying correctly…Tesco said it expected all its suppliers to meet strict, independently audited criteria for labour standards and to manage their agencies responsibly. Morrisons said it took the issues very seriously and used reputable suppliers.