The Argus - News, Sport, Brighton and Hove Albion and Entertainment for Brighton, Hove and Sussex

Prostitutes' cards dilemma

From the archive, first published Thursday 14th Dec 2000.

There has never been a red light district in Brighton and Hove, unlike cities further along the coast, such as Portsmouth.

But prostitutes claim this will happen if they are forced by new laws not to advertise any more through cards in public phone boxes.

It looks as if new laws will be introduced to outlaw carding which has become a real nuisance in many town centres.

The trouble is anyone, including young children, can go into phone boxes and see the most sexually explicit details on some of the cards.

A much better solution advocated by some people, including Labour MP Ivor Caplin, is for the prostitutes to advertise in top-shelf directories.

These would be available only to people aged 18 and over and would not be seen by all and sundry in phone boxes.

Call girls will also find other means of enticing men to their flats, as they did in Brighton and Hove long before anyone ever thought of carding.

There's no need either for a red light district or to run the oldest profession out of town. But carding is offensive to many people and needs to stop.

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