The co-owners of a massage parlour in Sheffield have said that a visit to the Holbeck Managed Approach in Leeds 'inspired' them to call on Sheffield City Council to introduce a similar model in South Yorkshire.
Kath Clarke, 56, runs City Sauna massage parlour in Sheffield along with her daughter Jenni Wright, 31.
The duo recently made a trip to Leeds, where they spoke to sex workers on the streets of Holbeck - and they have now kickstarted a campaign to decriminalise sex work in Sheffield.
"We thought about doing a petition after visiting Holbeck," said Kath. "That inspired us.
"If a girl wants to do sex work, she shouldn't be condemned for that. There should be things in place to help her."
The Managed Approach was introduced in Leeds in 2014 and allows sex workers to ply their trade between 8pm and 6am in an area of Holbeck which is based primarily near an industrial estate on Holbeck Lane and Springwell Road.
The current laws in Sheffield are similar to those in most parts of the UK - where it is illegal to solicit for trade on the roadside.
However, the controversial Leeds scheme allows women to approach potential clients without fear of being arrested - as long as they do so within the designated area.
The Managed Approach has seen a sharp rise in the number of crimes reported by sex workers, who now feel much more comfortable speaking to police - but it has also seen a backlash from local residents, who have reported dirty condoms and used needles littering residential streets outside the designated zone.
'The Holbeck area is too big. I'd want it to be a lot better managed in Sheffield.'
"We have spoken to some of the residents [in Holbeck]," Kath told LeedsLive.
"I think the Holbeck area is too big. We thought it was just one road, but we noticed there were like little tiny side roads and girls all over the place.
"It was quite dark and we didn't see any police or security cameras or anything like that. I thought it was going to be a lot more safe for the girls.
"I'd want it to be a lot better managed [in Sheffield]."
Kath and her daughter, who run the Attercliffe Road massage parlour as a joint business venture, are looking to incorporate some of the principles of the Holbeck Managed Approach - but are asking the decision-makers in Sheffield to go one step further and fully decriminalise all sex work.
"We're not necessarily asking for a red light area like in Leeds," said Kath. "We want to decriminalise all sex work. Any girl who wants to work in sex work should be safe - be it a stripper or a pole dancer.
"All we want is a nice, secure place for girls to work so they can be happy in the job that they want to do.
"Current laws mean if a girl gets into trouble for prostitution, it goes onto their record. So if they decide to be a nurse in five year's time, no one is going to give that girl a job.
"That shouldn't be on their record. They'll have that stigma with them for the rest of their life because it'll be on their criminal record."
The controversies of the Leeds scheme haven't put Kath and Jenni off from applying for sex work to be decriminalised in Sheffield though.
Instead, they think the Holbeck model could be slightly refined to make it work.
Kath said: "I do think the sex workers would be able to manage it in Sheffeld.
"If there was going to be one in Sheffield, I think it should stick to one road and one road only."
Sheffield City Council declined to comment when asked about the petition.
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