Trafficked women auctioned in pubs

A major police operation to tackle the trafficking of women in Britain has discovered that some victims are being “sold” at auctions in pubs before being forced to work in brothels.

In the largest operation of its kind, police in Cambridgeshire raided 73 suspected brothels during the past few months. They have already rescued seven women, some with serious injuries sustained as they tried to escape captivity.

The scale of the abuse has horrified officers and staff from other agencies working with them, who have found women being forced to work in the sex trade in houses in villages as well as city centres. Some were made to have sex with up to 60 men a day, earning thousands of pounds for the gangs.

Detective Chief Inspector Paul Fullwood, leading the investigation, said: “We have seen organised crime moving away from firearms and drugs into sex trafficking. It’s a lucrative area for gangs, and the women they get hold of can find it hard to escape.”

Police say women are brought to a pub with a minder. They are then inspected by members of different gangs who are invited to bid for them - often as little as £1000 per woman.

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