Many of the women are trafficked here, under the illusion they will get jobs as waitresses or au pairs, or perhaps as lap dancers and nightclub hostesses - but will not have to sleep with customers. They find themselves living a nightmare: raped, beaten and threatened into slavery, made to have sex with up to 40 men a day, with pimps and traffickers taking virtually every penny they earn.
European Union expansion has made it easy to bring the women to the UK. They can arrive at any port or airport with passports in their own names. Detective Inspector Dick Powell, who heads Scotland Yard's strong vice squad, said the growing trend towards unprotected sex was a measure of the desperation and exploitation in the sex trade and had "horrendous" implications for public health.
He added: "It is mind-boggling why the punters want it, but they do. Speaking to the Guardian, Det Insp Powell said: "There is a huge demand for unprotected and anal sex.
Nowadays, it's the norm, not the exception. The whole set-up is appalling. Most of these places are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week and women are expected to be 'on call' day and night.
It's very rare the prostitute will get to keep any of the money she earns. Anna Johansson, team leader with the Poppy Project, a Home Office-funded scheme which provides support to women trafficked into prostitution in the UK, is aware of more women from eastern Europe, particularly Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, and the Czech Republic.
