A CRACKDOWN on men who pay for sex has been welcomed across south Essex.

Home secretary Jacqui Smith is looking at fining men up to £1,000 if they pay for sex with a woman who is illegally in the country.

Southend councillor Bla-ine Robin, who has previously invested £10,000 of his own cash in the Kursaal People’s Foundation to help vulnerable women, has backed the idea.

He said: “The trafficking of women is inhumane.

“There is no doubt this sort of activity goes on in Southend and elsewhere.

“We have to raise awareness of this problem, and this can only help.”

Under the new proposals, anyone using prostitutes “controlled for another person’s gain” will face fines and a criminal record. The measures are aimed at anyone paying for sex, from first-time kerb crawlers to persistent offenders.

Lapdancing clubs will also be re-categorised alongside sex shops and sex cinemas.

The move will give councils greater powers to control their spread and charge higher licence fees.

Ms Smith said: “What I disapprove of is women being trafficked into this country, coerced, exploited and effectively treated as slaves. That is what I am particularly interested in helping to tackle, alongside the antisocial behaviour and the concern communities have about on-street prostitution in their areas.”

But Ms Smith refused to advocate an outright ban on prostitution, saying she accepted the argument women had the right to choose.

Mr Robin said this again raised the issue of the safety of “sole traders”.

He said: “We have to look after the women who are working on their own.

“In other industries, sole traders have a network of support they can call upon.

“I wonder, where will these women turn to if they need help?”