The Government is set to review prostitution laws and legalised brothels could get the go-ahead.
The creation of tolerance zones, where soliciting would be decriminalised providing no public nuisance was caused, will be considered.
Prostitution is not illegal in Britain but there are some 36 types of laws, including offences such as soliciting and living off immoral earnings, which criminalise the trade.
The review's focus is likely to concentrate on tackling the involvement of organised crime in prostitution. A clampdown is expected on pimps, as is an emphasis on helping women escape the vice trade.
The Government announced new measures giving courts powers to take kerb crawlers' driving licences away indefinitely this month.
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