Anti-social behaviour orders are increasingly being used against prostitutes as a "quick fix" way of clearing women off the streets, campaigners warn.

Probation officers and those who work with prostitutes say the orders have effectively brought back jail sentences for offences such as loitering and soliciting, which have been non-imprisonable for more than 10 years. Breaching the orders, brought in six years ago, is a criminal offence punishable by up to five years in jail.