BRITISH holiday destinations from the Lake District to the Cornish coast are being blighted by "pop-up brothels".

The National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) yesterday said online rented properties being turned into places for prostitutes to work out of was "widespread".

It was revealed this week that at least 14 temporary brothels had been set up in Newquay, Cornwall, in the last six months.

Forces up and down the land have noted incidents of crime gangs exploiting refugees for prostitution and shipping them around the country to the pop up knocking shops.

A fifth of the women who are vulnerable to trafficking are believed to work in these kinds of establishments.

Sex workers from Manchester and Liverpool have been found working in rented properties in the Lake District beauty spots of Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness, reports The Times.

A spokeswoman for the NPCC said: “We have seen an increase in the set-up of pop-up brothels across a number of force areas.

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"While this is relatively widespread, it is still an emerging issue and does not present consistently across the country.

“The reports from Newquay have raised new challenges as it is the first time that we have been made aware of holiday lettings being used locally in this way.

"We will be developing more intelligence to ensure we protect those who may be victims of slavery and sex trafficking.”

The south west's organised crime unit, dubbed Zephyr, oversaw the arrests of 16 people over human trafficking offences in Romania in August.

Inspector Dave Meredith, of Newquay police, said: “If you live near holidays lets or flats, be mindful of men coming to the premises at all hours, sex workers who may come and go quite quickly, and if you have any concerns please contact the police on 101.

“We do understand that a lot of the women are vulnerable, and instead of arresting them we try to signpost them to agencies that can help them.”

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