A police operation in Liverpool’s so-called Red Light district has led to several arrests and a number of taxi drivers being taken off the road.

Specialist Matrix officers and traffic police carried out the operation on Friday night in Sheil Road in Kensington - the epicentre of Liverpool’s sex worker crisis .

The force has been targeting the area and particularly focusing on the actions of taxi drivers after an ECHO undercover sting highlighted how some cabbies are working with brothels to entice groups of men to go to Kensington and pay for sex as part of a seedy ‘package deal.’

Friday’s action saw police make three arrests and suspend the licenses of four taxi drivers.

Two vehicles were also seized and traffic officers handed out 22 taxi defect notices and 12 traffic tickets on the night.

A tweet from the police stated that the Sheil Road area “remains a priority” for the force.

This was the second major crackdown in the Sheil Road area in recent months, with a December operation following shortly after we published the results of our ‘Orange Light District’ investigation which highlighted the dodgy taxi-sex deals taking place.

On that occasion twelve taxi and private hire drivers were suspended from work after police said they responded to “issues relating to sex work in the Sheil Road and surrounding area” which included “reports of people using black cabs and private hire vehicles to be taken to the area to visit sex workers.”


In November last year, the ECHO published the results of our special Orange Light District investigation - which showed that some cab drivers are working with brothels to entice groups of men on nights out into travelling to areas to pay for sex.

Our sting involved reporters specifically being urged to travel by taxi to Kensington and pay large sums to cabbies up front as part of a “package deal.”

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