A WOMAN has been arrested on suspicion of managing a brothel following a police raid in west Reading on Wednesday.

The property in Chatham Place has been shut down for three months after officers applied to Reading Magistrates’ Court the next day for a closure order which means it can not be used for any purpose. However the owner can make repairs.

Police officers and the UK Human Trafficking Centre raided the property and arrested the 47-year-old woman who has been released on bail until Sunday, November 30.

Inspector Keith Stacey, from Reading police station, said: “Prostitution has been raised as an issue by the residents of the Oxford Road area during surveys carried out by the Oxford Road Neighbourhood Action Group.

“We have worked tirelessly to deal with these issues. Not only have we been addressing street prostitution but we have again worked to close a brothel.

“We have serious concerns about the women who are often victims of human trafficking to work in the sex industry and are controlled by fear and violence for the gain of unscrupulous people and we will continue to carry out such activity. Safeguarding vulnerable people such as these women is a priority for the Police and our partner agencies.”