The law in England and Wales is to be changed to allow small brothels to operate legally.
The proposal would allow up to three prostitutes work legally in the same premises, the British government confirmed today. Currently only one prostitute can offer paid sex without breaking the law.
Unveiling the Home Office's new prostitution strategy, Minister Fiona Mactaggart said the current position meant that women were forced to work in unsafe conditions.
The British government is also creating a new penalty specifically for prostitutes so the courts can divert them towards help for drug or alcohol abuse.
The new penalty will be available for people convicting of loitering or soliciting for prostitution, which is currently dealt with by a fine in most cases, which authorities said did not deal with the underlying reasons why women went on the game.
Today's strategy document, which applies only to England and Wales, said: "At present only one person may work as a prostitute - more than that . . . and the premises are classed in case law as a brothel.
"This runs counter to advice that women should not work alone in the interest of safety."
Ministers have already ruled out a previous proposal to create licensed "red light" zones to deal with street prostitution.
Today's document also called for kerb crawlers to be "prosecuted rigorously" to protect communities from problems associated with street prostitution. There should also be warning signs, CCTV and extra street lighting in red light areas, it added.
PA