A ROMANIAN teen found sobbing in a corridor led one businesswoman to make the shocking discovery that her premises were being used as a "pop-up brothel".

The Evening Mail revealed yesterday how vulnerable women are being brought to the area and used as sex slaves. 

Crime gangs are trafficking refugees to use as prostitutes - some underage - and block booking hotel rooms in Barrow and across the south Lakes to use as bases to ply their trade.

Recently police shut down three so-called "pop-up brothels" in the town.

The sex workers involved were not prosecuted but instead treated as victims.

A Barrow businesswoman, who wants to remain anonymous to protect the good name of her establishment, explained how the prostitution racket came to light.

She said: "As soon as we realised what was going on we reported it to the police.

"It all started when a Romanian couple got in touch looking for a room. That's not unusual. We have people from all over the world stopping when they are visiting the area."

She said that when they arrived they behaved as if they were partners but later they saw on CCTV that other men arrived and dropped off females and the original male left. They returned a few days later to collect the women.

The concerned woman added: "A few weeks later we had more Romanian women checking in. I was on holiday when I was contacted by a staff member who told me she had found a Romanian girl crying in the corridor. She was being spoken to by some men who weren't speaking English."

They believed that this distraught female was an underage teen and staff called the police but they fled.

The source said: "I decided to look back at CCTV and found out the prostitution has been going on for about three weeks at that point. I also saw men waiting outside and going into the flat before leaving again quite quickly. Often it was the same local men. Some I recognised as being married and in relationships. Young and old and just normal looking. Some fitted the stereotype of what you visualise as someone who visits prostitutes.

"One man has turned up here for them all and his arrival last weekend alerted us to the fact someone else was working from our premises."

After trawling her CCTV footage she now has images of all the men who regularly visited the sex workers and says she is very tempted to name and shame them.

She said: "The Romanian couple approached my brother at his premises after I told them they were no longer welcome. They are using hotels across the area."

The businesswoman said she had found out which website they were advertising on and couldn't believe what she found.

She said: "The site advertised the women and it was the address of my premises they were giving. I was so angry.

"Then last week I had a call from a very well-spoken woman who said she was cold in the hotel where she was staying and did we have any rooms?

"When she turned up she was well dressed and very attractive. I didn't think anything until I suddenly saw one of the guys from the CCTV footage waiting outside and then another and I realised just what was going on.

"They were her customers and the same ones who had been visiting previously.

She said she has been told that one prostitute working on her own isn't illegal but two are defined as a brothel. As a result they now check booking names against the website used to advertise the "pop-up brothels". 

They also tell people booking that they have a strict no visitors policy unless pre-arranged with the management. This has resulted in several cancellations.

The landlady's discovery made her realise what a dark, seedy underbelly there was in Barrow and she dug a little deeper.

She added: "I discovered it had been going on in other places in Barrow too and some local women were actually working as prostitutes using their own homes and advertising online.

"There are also married men using male escort services for sex in their lunch hours in Barrow. 

"I was shocked at what I discovered and it can be found easily online if you know what you're looking for. It's huge."

Detective Chief Inspector Nick Coughlan has described human trafficking as "modern-day slavery", adding that many are forced to commit crimes and offer sexual services. 

He said specially trained officers were monitoring the situation across south Cumbria.