Ref. 25782-50ON THE STREETS: Residents in the centre of Swindon may have won the battle to rid the streets of prostitutes, but the problem has not gone away, as GILES SHELDRICK reports.

PROSTITUTES, pimps and kerb-crawlers have relocated to other parts of Swindon after a community action group drove them away from the Manchester Road area.

Residents in Beatrice Street, Gorse Hill have noticed a rise in night time activity that has led them to believe the exodus of prostitutes has arrived on their doorsteps.

Now they fear more vice girls could follow as they attempt to ply their trade away from the watch of community groups.

One resident, who did not want to be named, said: "They've started hanging around the top of the street and it seems they are being driven from one place to another. I've seen them being picked up and dropped off, people blow their horns at them and generally they make the place cheap and untidy I'd like to see them moved on.

"I've lived here for 37 years and had no problems in the past. Some girls don't seem more than 15 or 16, but then again it's very difficult to tell the age of anyone these days."

Another resident, who also asked not to be named, said: "It's a real shame. This is a nice area, and a lot of families with young children live here. I'm surprised the police can't do more, they need to tackle the problem quickly. It has shocked me that there are people who will pay these young girls for sex."

Residents in and around Manchester Road got so fed up with the girls and kerb crawlers that they set up Street Watch to monitor the activity of prostitutes.

Each night they take it in turns to patrol the streets and note the registration numbers of cars touring the neighbourhood looking to pick up women. The scheme was so successful that a dossier of information was passed to police earlier this year, which led to four convictions in the county court.

In January the council banned prostitutes from the area. Two women were later found to be in breach of the ban after being spotted in the Broad Street area and were jailed for two months and 28 days.

Since its inception last year, Street Watch co-ordinator Matt McCue reckons the activity of prostitutes has dwindled from around 23 women each night to five.

Street Watch today continues to operate in the Broad Street area. Mr McCue, 51, a self-employed mechanic, recently received recognition for his work when he was nominated for a Wiltshire Good Neighbour Award.

Maurice Fanning (Lab, Gorse Hill and Pinehurst) said: "Now is the time to flag this issue up in Gorse Hill before it becomes the problem it did in central Swindon. I think Beatrice Street might have become the victim of Broad Street's success. Street Watch did such a good job in tackling the problem that the prostitutes have moved on.

"I'm very interested in setting up a similar operation in Gorse Hill. This area is just outside the Broad Street exclusion zone and we must try to stop this kind of activity now.

"The people in Beatrice Street are good home-loving people who want to live life without this added problem of prostitution in their lives."

One solution to anti-social behaviour is the creation of Home Zones in the borough, to reclaim the streets from cars and traffic by creating large pedestrianised areas.

The area around Manchester Road has been identified as a possible Home Zone candidate and council chiefs are undertaking a feasibility study to see how much it would cost and exactly what government and European funding is available to make this a reality.

But in other areas across the borough the idea of Home Zones has received a lukewarm welcome, mainly because of their expense.

The idea of Home Zones has been discussed at the Area Panel meetings, but most councillors have come to realise that not every ward can become one. Home Zones have been described as a way to "tame the car" but are extremely expensive to implement, with one figure suggesting it could cost as much as £10,000 for every metre of a pedestrianised street.

Matt McCue said: "What we've wanted all along is a borough-wide ban on prostitutes because that's the only way to do it. Street Watch has been successful, but we deal with other things aside from prostitution we want to make the streets safer by reducing drugs and car crime too.

"We aren't going to be held responsible for the activity of prostitutes in Gorse Hill. From the beginning I've said that we'd help anyone who wanted to set up a similar scheme and the offer still stands.

"I'll meet Coun Fanning anytime if he wants help setting up a Street Watch initiative in Gorse Hill.

"But we've had some people come over to see how we police the streets and they decided not to take it up because they don't want to become targets. I've driven along County Road before and had prostitutes and their minders spit at my car. I've also had bottles and stones thrown at it.

"Magistrates in Swindon are failing the residents with the way they appear to be treating prostitutes leniently. I know that some girls who worked in central Swindon are now plying their trade in Gorse Hill."

Sgt Max Sharman of Swindon police said: "The problem of prostitution allegedly having moved to the area of Beatrice Street has been brought to notice of north sector officers. Officers will police this problem positively, under the management of the inspector who has overall responsibility for this area of Swindon. Intelligence led policing will be used to alleviate problems."