More than a dozen men – most of them from Redbridge – were fined for trying to buy sex at the weekend.

Redbridge is the first borough in the country to issue fines for sleeping with a prostitute after a historic problem with sex workers in parts of Ilford.

Redbridge Council ran a joint operation in Ilford Lane with the police and local authority enforcement officers between Friday, February 1 and Sunday, February 3 to tackle the problem.

The team issued 16 fixed penalty notices to men trying to buy sex and gave out eight police cautions.

They also used automatic number plate recognition cameras to monitor the cars going along the road.

“We are sending a clear message to the users, women and those who control them,” said Councillor Jas Athwal, leader of Redbridge Council.

“Our residents should feel safe and comfortable to walk the streets of Redbridge and collectively we will not tolerate this behaviour.

“We all need to play a part and the men who use the prostitutes are mostly local, if they go away then so will the women.”