Interesting recent story on the alleged brothel in Kingshill Road, which of course I’d better not comment on as it could involve a pending court case.

But it does highlight an extremely murky area of English law, particularly as prostitution is not in itself an illegal activity.

What does seem to be against the law are activities such as:
• running a brothel (defined in the law as premises used by more than one man or woman for 'physical acts of indecency for ... sexual gratification')
• living off "immoral" earnings (ie. pimping)
• soliciting for the purpose of prostitution in a street or public place
• kerb-crawling (hello all you “disgraced ex-local dignitaries” out there).

Working in a brothel or simply being a customer (I believe the correct term is “punter”) is not an offence, although you doubtless run the risk of helping police with any enquiries that they might decide to make.

So ladies, if you are attracted by this most ancient of professions, make sure you ply your trade independently from a conveniently-located one-bedroom residence with understanding neighbours.

And stay legal by remembering to register for VAT if your annual turnover reaches £64,000 per year.