Street takes stand against kerb crawling

Kerb crawlers looking for prostitutes along a busy Wolverhampton street are being shopped after fed-up residents launched a campaign to drive them out.

A series of signs have been placed down Newhampton Road East in Whitmore Reans, warning drivers that registration plates are being written down and passed on to police officers.

The signs, which adorn lamp posts, were put up by the police after locals voiced their concern over kerb crawling during the day and night.

They state 'kerb crawlers beware – residents are recording car registration numbers and are passing them onto the police'.

Around a dozen have been placed up and down the road, and can be viewed by passing drivers heading down the road towards Molineux.

Newhampton Road East resident Sukdeep Kaur, aged 27, an engineer, said: "I've seen the signs, lots of people are talking about it and I say good luck to the residents that were behind the idea.

"I've seen the odd prostitute around this area, to be honest nobody wants to see that kind of thing. In broad daylight, it's the last thing you expect."

The scheme came into fruition after West Midlands Police and Wolverhampton Community Safety Partnership (WCSP) came together to form an agreement.

In 2005, the Express & Star teamed up with police to name and shame kerb crawlers in a campaign which was credited with reducing the number on men coming to the city to pay for sex.

West Midlands Police were unavailable for comment.