POLICE chiefs have launched a clampdown on town centre prostitution and kerb crawling.

Plain-clothes and uniformed officers targeted the Manchester Road and Bromwich Street area where residents have regularly complained about women walking the streets offering sex for cash.

And today the BEN can reveal the operation, codenamed Dressage, led to 10 people being charged with loitering for the purposes of prostitution. They are due to appear at Bolton magistrates.

Twenty others received an official caution.

Twelve men were also reported for alleged kerb crawling offences, with files now having been passed to the Crown Prosecution Service.

Supt Don Brown, of Bolton Central, confirmed that undercover officers had also been involved in the operation which was launched at the end of September and ran into this month. He said: "Our aim is to control prostitution and assist prostitutes in leaving that lifestyle. We also at times have to carry out an enforcement campaign.

"This was done in a direct response to complaints from members of the public and police intelligence. We will maintain our efforts to control prostitution in the town."

The police operation comes just weeks after townsfolk raised concerns at a Bolton South police community consultative group about prostitution in the Heron's Way area, off Manchester Road.

At that meeting on October 2, one businessman had even complained that his firm was beginning to be affected because prostitutes had propositioned customers.

Manchester city centre officers have also recently launched a clampdown against prostitution, which led to a number of men appearing in court to face kerb crawling charges.