Britain’s first official red light district facing closure over violence risk towards women
The 'managed area' is a place in Holbeck, Leeds, where prostitutes can operate freely and legally, but the politician in charge of the project has admitted women are still at risk of violence

BRITAIN’S first official red light district could be about to collapse after being branded a failure by one of its masterminds.
One of the politicians behind the ‘managed area’ in Leeds where prostitutes can operate freely has admitted the women are still at risk of violence.
, and residents have complained of a rise in drug taking and sex in the streets - sometimes in full view of children.
Mark Dobson, who helped create the zone told the paper the scheme needs a major overhaul.
He said: “Unless the scheme is seen to work, it will fail and it is failing.”
A senior police officer told the Telegraph the force had “given up” and said the scheme was a “disaster from day one”.
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The managed zone was introduced in 2014 with men free to kerb crawl for prostitutes between 8pm and 6am after research found out that police action against sex workers was failing to reduce levels of prostitution.
Local residents have said the area has become a “meet and greet” area, organised prostitution gangs are thriving and violence against the sex workers hasn’t fallen.
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