A crackdown on sex workers on a street in Southend is paying off, according to the officers in charge of the operation.

Police have ramped up patrols along Ambleside Drive in an effort to tackle the problem, while CCTV has also been installed to deter sex workers and men soliciting for sex.

Officers say the work has led to numerous vehicles and men walking with known sex workers being stopped.

A man in a car who tried to evade officers was arrested, three Out of Court Disposals have been issued, along with a number of verbal Community Protection Warnings.

PC Mesher, a member of the community policing team involved in the crackdown, says there has been a positive response from residents in the area.

She said: “We’ve stopped a lot of people down there.

“Most of the time we’ve been in a marked vehicle because we want to be visible so the girls know we’re there and can approach us, but this does make it more difficult to prove that men are soliciting for sex.

“Our main aim is to stop kerb crawlers and find out if there are people controlling these women.

“They are the people we’re targeting rather than the women themselves.”

Officers have also asked residents in the flats at Southchurch Avenue end of the road to keep the bin sheds locked amid concerns it was being used for anti-social activity.

The work meant a recent weekend saw no evidence of any sex work taking place in the Ambleside Drive area.

PC Mesher insists helping vulnerable women involved in the sex industry remains the priority for police.

Officers have been holding meetings every two weeks with the Probation Service, Health and Social Care, and the charities Aspirations and Rape Crisis.

She said: “We want to help these vulnerable women and stop the people who are taking advantage of them.

“We have built a rapport with the women and we are there to give them the safeguarding they need. They are all local and many have drug problems.

PC Mesher added: “We know what we’re doing is making a difference. We’ve listened to local residents and acted on their concerns, and the relationships we’ve built with our partners means we can offer the women the help they need.”