Prostitutes advertising in telephone boxes could soon be liable for prosecution under new proposals being drawn up by the government.

The proposals will be published shortly. If passed, advertising prostitution in this way will become a criminal offence enforceable by local authorities.

Prostitute Cindy: Banning the cards could be worse for everyone

But while the idea is broadly welcomed by some councils, the women who advertise say the new law could force them back on to the streets.

Prostitutes are at greater risk if working longer hours or on the streets

The accumulation of prostitutes' cards in inner city callboxes is found unslightly and threatening by many residents and local businesses.

In most cases, the phone company employs cleaners to get rid of the cards each morning. But they are fighting a losing battle against the 13m cards that are left each year.

Phonebox is last resort

Rufus Marsh has been cleaning boxes for about four years. He says: "Sometimes they are very explicit. I think that as a whole we don't want them there, I think that society as a whole is poorer for having these things around."

At present, councils can only use bylaws or take civil actions against those paid by massage parlours to leave the cards while British Telecom has cut off incoming calls to persistent advertisers.

Brighton: The proposals could create a red light district

But this has not really dealt with the problem. Lyne Haville is in charge of all British Telecom's phone boxes. She says: "We have been successful in blocking BT numbers but what we would like to do is block calls to other numbers too.We are currently discussing this with other operators, the Home Office and others."

However, Cindy, who advertises in boxes in Brighton, says she has no choice. She says local papers stopped taking adverts forcing the women to use phone boxes.

If that is stopped the consequences could be worse than the original problem by creating a red light district in the town.

'No easy answers'

Cindy's views are echoed by the English Collective of Prostitutes which says that anything that makes women work longer hours or forces them on to the streets increases the danger to them.

Lord Steve Bassam realises the proposals could put prostitutes at risk

But Brighton and Hove Council says it receives complaints about the explicit nature of the cards and wants them stopped.

The authority does accept that there is a risk women might use the streets to contact clients instead.

Lord Steve Bassam heads the council and said: "There are no easy answers. What we want to get rid of is the most obvious and blatant abuses.

Lord Steve Bassam: "There are no easy answers"

"They are very offensive, young people use telephone boxes and we don't want to discourage a very vibrant and busy conference and tourism trade."