Police act to close down suspected Blyth brothel

Posted by The Journal on Nov 6, 09 08:54 AM in News

Police have swooped to close down a suspected brothel in Northumberland.

Officers from Northumbria Police acting on community intelligence targeted a premises at Stanley Street in Blyth yesterday morning, where it is suspected prostitution, money laundering and immigration offences were being committed.

A 59-year-old man from Stanley Street, Blyth was arrested for managing a brothel used for prostitution and was last night helping police with their enquires.

The arrest comes as part of Operation Clydesdale a multi-agency operation targeting brothels in the North East and crime groups which organise and finance prostitution.

It is a coordinated campaign of activity led by Northumbria Police and the Regional Intelligence Unit with support from UK Border Agency and the UK Human Trafficking Centre.

Blyth Neighbourhood Inspector David Felton said: "Organised prostitution is a national issue and that is why we have carried out this multi-agency operation to target those who seek to profit from exploitation.

"We always respond to concerns raised by our communities and this operation was based on community-led intelligence."

"There are a relatively small number of brothels in the region, however the human suffering and exploitation involved in trafficking women for organised prostitution is still considerable."

Meanwhile, people living on the section of Stanley Street near the targeted property spoke of their shock after learning of police suspicions. Resident Linda Shellard described the suspected activity as terrible, saying: "We have been here about seven years and apart from a little bit of noise in the nightclub (Nikhs) it is very quiet."

An 81 year old woman, who asked not to be named, added: "I am disgusted to think it was going on just down the street."

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