A major operation to target those involved in sex trafficking has begun in Cambridgeshire.
Police estimate there could be up to 100 brothels operating in the county, some using women brought in from the Far East, Eastern Europe and Africa.

Intelligence suggests women have been bought for between £1,000 and £5,000, and one recent victim was 16 years old and 24 weeks pregnant when discovered.

Police hope people in the county will report any suspicious activity.
Drug dealing

Operation Radium is part of a national drive against the sex slave trade.

Posters and information cards urging communities to be vigilant will be distributed across Cambridgeshire in coming weeks.

Det Ch Insp Paul Fullwood said: "This is an evil and disgusting trade which has links with many other areas of crime, and with the public's help we are determined to stamp it out.

"We know that many brothels operate under the guise of other businesses, or they may just be ordinary-looking homes in quiet, residential neighbourhoods.

"A brothel in any community, obvious or not, is a magnet for those involved in other crime such as robbery and drugs dealing."

He said many young girls were lured to the country with promises of citizenship and successful careers.

'Raped and beaten'

One victim, a 30-year-old Czech mother-of-two, was promised a job as a waitress but forced into prostitution after arriving in the UK in August 2006.

She was beaten and raped up to 25 times a day, before escaping from a house in Peterborough by climbing through a window.

Mr Fullwood said: "Then they are held captive in appalling conditions, forced to do things against their will and given little income or even the basic necessities of life.

"Many are subjected to appalling violence and are moved around the county to be sold at auction to the highest bidder."

Clients of the sex trade will also be asked to anonymously report situations where they think women are victims rather than willing sex workers.