Orange Light District: Mayor vows to crack down on seedy taxi sex deals

Mayor of Liverpool Joe Anderson has vowed to clamp down on a seedy underworld deal between black cab drivers and brothels which has been exposed in an ECHO investigation. Mayor Anderson thanked the ECHO for highlighting the issue and said his officers will now carry out similar investigations in a bid to punish those attempting to coerce groups of men into paying for sex.

Earlier today, we revealed the results of our undercover investigation, in which we were offered a “package deal” involving a lift to a location, sex with women and a lift home for a overall price of £140 from a driver in Duke Street . On another occasion, an ECHO reporter was offered “sex with girls” by a hackney driver as he attempted to get a lift home from Lime Street Station on a Sunday night. We have presented Mayor Anderson with the results of our investigation and he has said the issue is “not acceptable” and has vowed to take action.

Responding to our reports, he said: “This is a concern and my message to any cab driver that is stung by an undercover operation is that you will lose your license, there is no question about that. “It is not acceptable, it is not something that they should be doing and we will clamp down on it. “We don’t want people coming to the city being offered that. “I am sure this is something that is going on elsewhere but it is hard to detect. “It is clear that they are profiting from this and that is not acceptable at all.”

Referring to the investigation, he added: “It is good that the ECHO has carried out an investigation and Liverpool City Council will now look at doing this ourselves. “Thank you to the Liverpool Echo for highlighting this issue.”

Again the press blackening the reputation of the TAXI trade en-bloc,why did they exclude the plate numbers from the report of their investigation or did it not actually happen.

Is there specific illegality involved here, or would drivers just be deemed not fit and proper in the more general sense? Seems the mayor has made up his mind though.

well if someone involved in pimping is fit and proper what is the world coming to

"In the United Kingdom, prostitution itself is legal but activities such as pimping and owning or managing a brothel are not. However, the laws are not always strictly enforced. Many brothels in cities such as Manchester and London operate through legitimate businesses which are licensed as "Massage Parlours" and operate under that name. Police forces often turn a blind eye to such establishments."

"In 2005, it was reported that, in Manchester, there were around eighty "massage parlours" which were fronts for prostitution and that the police ignored those establishments, focusing instead on reducing street prostitution. On 12 October 2005, the Manchester Evening News reported that "A self-confessed pimp walked free from court after a judge was told police had 'turned a blind eye' to organised prostitution in massage parlours in Manchester."