COPS arrested a man under new sex offences legislation when they raided a brothel in Bethnal Green. Officers raided the flat in Bethnal Green Road after they received letters of complaint from neighbours and found two Romanian women in their mid-20s belie

COPS arrested a man under new sex offences legislation when they raided a brothel in Bethnal Green.

Officers raided the flat in Bethnal Green Road after they received letters of complaint from neighbours and found two Romanian women in their mid-20s believed to be working as prostitutes as well as a middle aged woman who they believe was running the brothel.

They arrested a 45-year-old man at the address on Thursday, April 8 using new legislation which came into force on April 1 under the Sexual Offences Act 2003.

He was arrested on suspicion of committing a new offence, paying for sexual services of a prostitute subject to force and has been released on police bail pending further enquiries.

The woman believed to be managing the property was served with a closure notice by the courts after police provided strong evidence that the flat had been operating as a brothel and had become a nuisance to neighbours.

Officers seized evidence including hundreds of 'prostitute postcards' often placed in telephone boxes as 'adverts'.

Tower Hamlets police's safer neighbourhoods' Insp Stephen Manger said: "The issues surrounding prostitution and why men pay for sex are very, very complex.

"Tower Hamlets Police works with various local agencies in assisting girls who can sometimes become victims but we are robustly tackling those that cause problems to the local community.

"It's not just a couple of working girls in the borough, it's organised crime. There's several premises like this in tower hamlets and the safer neighbourhoods teams are cracking down on these brothels to make the area safe for people who live here.