The cost of living crisis is pushing more women into sex work and leaving them unable to say no to violent and exploitative clients.

With inflation at a record high and wages failing to keep up with spiralling prices and energy bills, the number of calls to the English Collective of Prostitutes has increased by a third this summer.

Based in north London, with a national helpline and hubs throughout several major cities, the network advises women in all lines of sex work on how to keep themselves safe and stay within the law where possible.

Spokeswoman Niki Adams, who has helped thousands of women over 30 years, said: "The cost of living crisis is now pushing women into sex work in various ways - whether that's on the street, in premises or online.

"Across the board what we're seeing is people coming to that work from a place of desperation.

"That means they are much less able to protect themselves from violence and exploitation.

"And it also means the conditions of sex work are deteriorating to a point where they are putting women's lives at risk."

One woman Ms Adams works with in Preston is a single mother-of-four.

Having lost hundreds of pounds in the switchover from the government's old benefit system to Universal Credit, she was left without a job and unable to pay her bills.

"She started doing a couple of evenings a week on the streets - just enough to pay each bill," Ms Adams said.

"She didn't have any capacity to work inside, even though it would have been much safer and she would have preferred to.

"Although she says the money has been a lifesaver, she's terrified her abusive ex-partner will find out and use it against her with social services."

Another way women are carrying out sex work to pay their bills is online, through subscription services such as OnlyFans. 

But while some in the industry have touted it as a safer, more empowering option to traditional work, the ECP warns it can put women at risk of stalking and blackmail.

Ms Adams said: "We're working with a woman at the moment in her early 20s in Kent.

"She had a job in retail and had moved out of her parents' home, but when the crisis hit she couldn't cover her bills.

"She set up an OnlyFans and had been working for a few months, beginning to build up a profile for herself, when she got targeted by a guy who started harassing her,

"He managed to find a private Facebook page she had and became a very serious stalker."