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Council set to wage war on ‘seedy side of Soho’
ILLICIT sex will be banished from Soho as part of a clean-up operation of the famous red light district.
Suspected brothels and unlicensed sex shops are at the centre of the crackdown on “the seedy side of Soho”.
Westminster Council leader Councillor Colin Barrow said 51 sex shops had already been closed, as had most of the so-called “clip joints” – which lure men through the door with the promise of sex before stinging them with extortionate drinks bills.
Using his first leader’s speech on Wednesday evening to highlight the issue, he said: “There is no place in civilised society for the drug-dealing and anti-social behaviour which has for too long been the scourge of Soho.
“The idea that the seedy side of Soho is a magnet for tourists and creative trade is a flawed one. It may well be a curiosity, but there is no compelling argument for this.
“This is not about sanitising the area, but simply making it fit for a modern capital city where people are more aware than ever of the true costs of prostitution and drugs to society.”
He added: “Soho is a hub for creative industries which generate nearly £15billion a year for the local economy, and the area boasts a flourishing entertainment and restaurant sector.
“By far the vast majority of visitors would never venture anywhere near the seedy premises which give it a bad name, and the view that the sex and drugs are part of its ‘charm’ is simply wrong.”
At least 15 unlicensed sex shops are still operating in the area, and last month police suffered a setback when they failed to shut down a brothel in Dean Street because it was not deemed to be a source of antisocial behaviour by the courts. |
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