Hotel 'will not tolerate prostitution'

Published on Tuesday 14 December 2010 19:06

THE Balmoral Hotel says it takes a "zero tolerance" approach to prostitution after the News revealed high-class call girls were using its rooms.

We revealed yesterday that prostitutes were using the five-star hotel to meet clients, as it was considered one of the safest places in Edinburgh.

A spokesman for the hotel said: "We are proud to be regarded as Edinburgh's leading luxury hotel, boasting one of the city's most celebrated fine dining restaurants, which is popular with guests and members of the public alike.

"However, should any individual behave unacceptably, then our staff would request that they leave the premises.

"We have never arranged prostitute visits, neither the hotel nor the staff would facilitate this type of request."

He did admit that the hotel has several public areas which it could not always prevent people from entering, and that staff may not always be able to identify guests as prostitutes.

The spokesman added: "Staff remain vigilant and if any undesirable or unacceptable behaviour is detected, individuals are asked to leave."

Support work cut

ALAN MCEWEN

ONE of the few remaining support services helping Edinburgh's street prostitutes is set to close.

The Streetwork Reach Out project which ran a scheme to warn women about dangerous clients will close in February. The move comes after funding cuts forced charity Scotpep to end its street work in the city.

Support workers today warned that prostitutes working on the streets of Edinburgh are more vulnerable to violence than ever before, thanks to the criminalising of kerb-crawling and the demise of Edinburgh's tolerance zone.

Ruth Morgan Thomas, of Scotpep (pictured right), added: "The men who continue to buy sex from street prostitutes are more likely to be the dangerous ones. The legal changes meant others went to saunas or elsewhere. That means women are exposed to these dangerous men more frequently.

"No-one involved in street prostitution is unaware of the risks. They do it because that is how they make their income. Some women who were able to go and work in saunas did so, but most are supporting a drug habit and that was not an option.

"The environment they are working in has become invisible to society, but that has left the women more vulnerable than ever before."

Claire Gibson, head of services with Streetwork, said: "Due to the uncertainty of funding the Reach Out project will close, and Streetwork are gravely concerned for the impact this will have on women involved in street prostitution. The women often do not use other services and the Reach Out project provides a vital life line to enable a life off the streets."