PROSTITUTES have called for a "tolerance zone" where they can ply their trade in safety and with immunity from prosecution.

They were responding to demands for a crackdown on street girls and kerb crawlers, prompted by concerns that they were plaguing residential and shopping areas close to Blackburn town centre.

Police are to introduce a range of measures in Bank Top, including asking magistrates to revoke the driving licences of kerb crawlers.

Deborah Bannister, 35, who has 22 previous convictions for loitering, said: "Prostitution has been around for a long time and it's never going to go away. The police are pushing us into an area where we are isolated and we have no protection. Working in places like that is dangerous.

"If we could work in an area where there are no residents but which was monitored by the police, or even CCTV, but not with a view to prosecution then everyone would be happy."

Fellow prostitute Karen Wignall, 32, said: "We don't make the punters come looking for us and we certainly don't make them stop."

Deborah, who works to fund her heroin habit, said: "We are not robbing people or burgling houses.

"We have our problems and our reasons for doing what we do. If working in the so-called red light district is such a problem, something can be done about it which will suit everybody."

Deborah was speaking after pleading guilty to loitering for the purpose of prostitution and assaulting a police officer by spitting in his face.

The prosecution pointed out the court's powers to impose an anti-social behaviour order but district judge Peter Ward said he would need evidence of the problems caused by prostitutes working an area before he could make any order.

Mr Ward said that pre-sentence reports suggested Bannister was not suitable for a drug treatment and testing order and because of her heroin addiction could not manage a community punishment order.

Bannister was made subject to a community rehabilitation order for 12 months and ordered to pay £50 compensation for the assault. She was given a conditional discharge for 12 months for loitering for the purpose of prostitution.

The court had previously been told that Bannister and Wignall were arrested after being seen loitering in the Dixon Street area at 3pm. Phillip Potter, prosecuting, said the incident was close to a school although he conceded it was half-term.