Sex for £4: Life in Liverpool’s red light district
- Published
Guidance: contains adult themes
“I’ve had to give a blow job out for a tenner because I’d been rattling for the heroin. Some days it’s even hard to make 60 quid.”
Hayley has been selling sex for 15 years. She is one of many sex workers on Liverpool’s Sheil Road in the inner-city Kensington area. The road, and surrounding area, has become known as Merseyside’s red light district.
It’s the focus of the latest episode of 鶹ҳ Three’s new documentary series, Sex Map of Britain. In Four Pounds For Sex, Hayley and other women working on Sheil Road talk about the increasingly low sums they’re paid for sex.
“Obviously the men are coming asking for cheaper money and we’re saying ‘no’. Then other girls are going and doing it,” says Hayley. “Some girl’s done it for £8, for anal and everything.”
Liam has lived on Sheil Road for five years, and keeps an eye on the working girls.
"Sex, here - some of the girls give it away for four quid. Because they're battling for business, because they're desperate to get crack."
Michaela Edwards is a project manager for the charity Streetwise, which has a late-night van where sex workers can get condoms, food, drinks and emotional support. She explains the low prices are a recent problem.
“In the last few years, there seem to be more Eastern European girls, and from what we’ve heard, they come for a short period of time and then go away again.
“There’s a rivalry between the local girls and Eastern European ones and it lowers prices. It’s the competition. The cheapest I’ve ever heard is £2 for sex.”
Streetwise has been working in the area for 10 years. Every weekend, they offer support to around 15 women, aged between 18 and 64.
“The women we see on a weekly basis lead pretty chaotic lives,” says Michaela. “Most come from broken homes, many have suffered domestic violence, and many have a long history of drug and alcohol abuse.”
“They sell sex to pay for their habits. Some do it to pay for Christmas presents for the kids. Some to pay the rent after getting their benefits cut. It’s not just a black-and-white picture of them being there because of drugs.”
Abuse and physical violence is rife on Sheil Road, with several rapes and attacks reported every month to Streetwise, who then help victims contact the police or support services.
“The girls are definitely in danger,” says Michaela.
Some of the women try to rob their clients, further increasing the risk of violence against them.
“It’s okay for men,” says Natalie, who turned to sex work after getting addicted to crack cocaine last year.
“They can graft, rob shops or whatever. Us women, we have to sell our bodies for our habit. It’s horrible. Having sex with different men, day in, day out. That’s my normal life.”
Michaela would like more support from the authorities. "I wish it was easier for them to get into rehab if they wanted it, and I wish there was a better understanding from police and support workers.”
Last month, Merseyside Police announced a new £500,000 project providing support for sex workers, including creating a venue for sex workers to access help and services.
Jane Kennedy, Merseyside's Police Commissioner, said, “Merseyside has one of the largest street beats of sex workers outside of London. Many of these women are extremely vulnerable and are forced into this work because of difficult life circumstances.
“This bid is designed to better support them, to ensure they get the help they need, ideally so they can get off the streets but, for those who remain, to ensure they are better protected and are able work to free from violence, abuse and exploitation."
The police will be cracking down on abusive clients, particularly repeat offenders.
In the meantime, the women of Sheil Road continue to scrape a living under increasingly difficult circumstances.
Sex Map of Britain: Four Pounds for Sex is available to watch on iPlayer now.
You can find information and support regarding sexual abuse and violence from these organisations. For support with addiction, these organisations can help.
Originally published 27 September 2017.