Councillors have demanded to know what their authority is doing to help young victims escape from a life of prostitution.

Birmingham City Council's special policy development panel has been set up to look investigate prostitution and heard that growing numbers of younger women were finding themselves involved in prostitution.

But definite figures are not available because of the secret nature of the problem.

Councillor Carl Rice, who leads the panel, has asked the council's social services, education and economic development departments to make presentations about what is being done to help young people involved in prostitution and what can be done to improve services.

He said: "Many young people, who find themselves working as prostitutes, are often under the influence of older people, or pimps. We are trying to establish what mechanisms we have in place at the moment to support them.

"The pressure placed on these young people is enormous and we need to make sure that there are viable support packages available to them should they want to exit from the situation they find themselves in."

Councillor Rice added: "Although the residents in the local areas affected by prostitutes are classed as victims of crime, the women working the streets are often victims of sexual abuse.

"The agencies we have working on the panel with us all offer a service. If we had more links between us then we could offer more support on health, education, welfare and rehabilitation."