‘Prostitutes and drinkers are turning our street into a toilet’

HESSLE Road shopkeepers say the area has turned into a “toilet” after years of prostitution and street drinking.

Residents and business owners claim there is “no help whatsoever” when it comes to tackling the issues of sex workers plying their trade in Hessle Road.

But it is not just prostitution that has become a problem, as some say there is also the issues with street drinking and selling illegal cigarettes and alcohol.

One shopkeeper, who did not want to be named, said: “It is just awful. The police don’t do anything, I watch them drive past. The street drinking and prostitution on a night is awful.

“I hear them screaming and shouting at each other outside. There is always one on this corner and that corner. The street drinkers go around the back and use it as a toilet.

“The road has turned into a toilet. We have seriously considered closing early on a night. We have already closed earlier, from nine to eight.

“But it is not just the prostitution. It is the street drinking and the illegal cigarettes and booze that are being sold, but we get no support whatsoever.”

Humberside Police say that they are continuing to work with local agencies to tackle the issue of street sex workers and that they fully understand the impact it is having on residents.

They say their main objective is to try and dissuade sex trade users from using the services of sex workers and are monitoring CCTV cameras in Hessle Road and across the city to target those captured using the services.

Hull’s Neighbourhood Policing Chief Inspector Lee Edwards said: “We work with sex workers to understand why they are in the area, what their needs are, what agencies they are already engaging with and whether they will accept a referral to help get off the streets.

“However we also accept that with the sex trade often comes antisocial behaviour and we are committed to making this area safe for residents and business owners, too.

“It is really important that people report incidents where there are issues involving street sex workers. If residents notice there is an increase in sex workers in their area I would ask for them to call us and report their concerns. We need to know when it becomes an increased problem so that we can deal with the situation as it develops.”

But shopkeepers say what the police are doing is not enough. One man, who did not want to be named, said he has had to ban prostitutes from his shop after they tried to steal alcohol.

He said: “It happens all night. Sometimes they come here and steal alcohol. I have banned two because they came in here stealing. Sometimes the police come to stop it and they investigate.”

People spoke of how Hessle Road used to be a “vibrant area”, but during the past two to three years the issues have grown worse.

“Hessle Road was great,” said one shopkeeper. “It is the tradition around here that it is rough and ready but nice and down to earth.

“It has been gathering pace for the past eight to ten years, but it is really in the past two or three that it has got worse.”

Another said: “It [prostitution] used to be in Osborne Street, but there is a police station there now so they have been moved away.

“I was here in the Seventies and Eighties and it was a vibrant area. The fishing industry was one of the biggest in the world.”

Anyone with concerns over sex workers in their area is urged to call police on 101.