ACCORDING to official estimates, there are around 80,000 prostitutes in Britain - four out of five of them women.

And the dangers faced by those involved in the sex trade are underlined by the tragic developments in Suffolk, where police have now found the bodies of five young women.

Here in the North-East, there is evidence that girls as young as 12 have been drawn into prostitution, and the risks are all too clear.

We applaud the work of organisations such as Barnardo's, which helped more than 2,000 children and teenagers escape the dangers of prostitution and exploitation last year.

But while educational projects and drug rehabilitation schemes have huge value and deserve greater support, prostitution will always be part of our society. There will always be a demand, there will always be risks, and there will always be victims.

New Zealand is an example of a country which has decriminalised prostitution in an attempt to improve the rights and safety of prostitutes and there is evidence that it is working.

There are, of course, no perfect solutions but, perhaps properly managed, brothels or zones, which provide greater safety for prostitutes, might be the lesser of two evils.

As is the case with paedophiles, driving prostitution underground simply serves to increase the dangers.

In the light of the horrific events in Suffolk, it is time Britain at least embarked on a serious review of the way it deals with prostitution.