31 men including a doctor appear in court today charged with kerb-crawling after cops cracked down on prostitution in Hackney.

The men, whose ages range from 20 to 70, will appear before Thames magistrates' court accused of soliciting sex.

Police say the men came as far afield as Berkshire and Essex in their attempts to buy sex on the streets of Hackney. The three-day crackdown, from Monday to Wednesday last week, was the latest effort to shut down the boroughs notorious red light districts in Shacklewell Lane, Dalston, and Brownswood Road, Finsbury Park.

Zero tolerance

Long suffering residents have praised the zero tolerance approached to clean up the area, sighting the need to target the demand rather than the supply.

However, 13 prostitutes were also stopped by officers and two were given cautions.