KERB CRAWLING

Kerb crawlers could be banned from driving as part of a crackdown on prostitution by Lancashire Police. Police in Blackburn want the town's magistrates to use their powers to disqualify drivers who have been soliciting prostitutes. Neville Cordingley, chair of the magistrates bench for Blackburn, said he supported the plan, and would be urging his colleagues to do the same.

Lancashire Police are also considering naming and shaming kerb crawlers. Under the current law, kerb crawlers face a fine but police want to use existing legislation which allows magistrates to revoke licences if a vehicle is used to commit a crime. Chief Inspector Debbie Howard from Lancashire Police said the aim was to discourage kerb crawling, as the effect of taking someone's car away from them could be "devastating".

"If an individual has a driving licence taken away from them, it obviously means they can't drive the vehicle," she said. "In today's society most people have a vehicle, and it is part of their daily life, whether it's for going to work, socialising or family life." Residents in some parts of Blackburn have reported prostitutes operating from mid-afternoon, Ch Insp Howard added.

"To come out of your house and witness this kind of behaviour is not pleasant at all, which is why we do treat the problem as serious," she said. Mr Cordingley said he backed the proposal, but said each decision would be taken by magistrates on an individual basis.

"It would be down to the bench of the day but I support wholeheartedly revoking the licence of a kerb crawler," he said. "We tend to come down hard on the kerb crawlers as opposed to the prostitutes themselves and that has been reflected in the sentences handed out."

The plan is part of a package proposed by Lancashire Police, which includes releasing the names and pictures of kerb crawlers to the media, and extra patrols in red light areas. Blackburn was among the first places in the UK to use anti-social behaviour orders against prostitutes.