POP-up brothels run by ‘unscrupulous’ human traffickers are springing up at hotels, guest houses and apartments in south Cumbria, a senior police officer has warned.

The county’s force is seeing increased reports of criminal gangs booking accommodation for two or three days and using them as temporary brothels.

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Coughlan has said most of the women involved are victims of human trafficking who have been forced into prostitution.

He is appealing for the public’s help to stop their exploiters ‘getting a foothold in Cumbria’.

“This has been an issue that has been growing nationally for some time but has started to feature in Cumbria. We’ve been getting more intelligence about it over the past 12 months,” he said.

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Officers have received several reports of pop-up brothels in Kendal, but say the problem could be going on undetected across the region.

“We have such a high density of B&Bs, apartments and hotels, I find it hard to believe it’s not happening more widely,” said DCI Coughlan.

The worrying trend sees organised criminal gangs booking accommodation for a weekend and bringing sex workers up from Manchester or Liverpool.

The dates will be advertised online and the women will have multiple male visitors over several days.

DCI Coughlan said: “What we often find is there will be a booking made online through a reputable website.

“They will then turn up and pay with cash rather than credit or debit cards, which are traceable. They won’t arrive as a gang – often the men will come in on their own at first.

“If it’s a pop-up brothel then two or three girls will be brought up, sometimes by men, sometimes by older women.”

Cumbria Police is appealing for people - particularly hoteliers, apartment owners and cleaners – to be vigilant and report anything unusual to the police.

“These gangs are fairly despicable individuals with no scruples – they are exploiting human misery for financial gain,” said DCI Coughlan.

“We want to disrupt these people and stop them getting a foothold in Cumbria.

“Our first priority is to safeguard the victims, who have often come from poor conditions, in parts of Eastern Europe for example, and are being forced into these things against their will.

“Our second priority is criminal prosecution for the traffickers. However, the victims are often badly intimidated and customers don’t want to go to court, so we need other evidential opportunities and public support.”

In order to tackle the problem, all Cumbrian police officers are receiving training, from the College of Policing, in recognising the signs of modern slavery.

In addition to sexual exploitation, the force is trying to raise awareness of other types of modern slavery, including forced labour, domestic servitude and criminal exploitation, where victims are forced into crimes such as cannabis cultivation or pick pocketing against their will.

Home Office guidance on how to spot victims of trafficking said signs can include:

l Signs of physical or psychological abuse, victims may look malnourished or unkempt, or appear withdrawn

l Victims may rarely be allowed to travel on their own, seem under the control, influence of others, rarely interact or appear unfamiliar with their neighbourhood or where they work

l Victims may have no identification documents, have few personal possessions and always wear the same clothes day in day out

l They may be dropped off / collected for work on a regular basis either very early or late at night

l Victims may avoid eye contact, appear frightened or hesitant to talk to strangers and fear law enforcers.

DCI Coughlan said: "If you suspect someone of being a victim of trafficking please contact police on 101 or alternatively you can contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111."

For help and advice visit www.modernslavery.co.uk or call the helpline number 0800 0121 700