Police staged an undercover crackdown on prostitutes openly touting for business on the streets of Bradford as lunchtime shoppers pass by.

City centre traders have complained to police that the problem is now so bad women office workers are being propositioned by would-be punters.

In the operation yesterday police arrested and charged 11 women with alleged soliciting, three others were cautioned for the same offence, and two more were arrested for defaulting on fines.

Detective Inspector Chris Binns, of Bradford Central CID, said: "Businesses in the Sunbridge Road and Listerhills Road area of the city are fed up.

"Many of the prostitutes are heroin addicts and are coming out on to the streets earlier and earlier.

"It's not just an evening trade - they are touting for business at noon. There's obviously a demand, or they wouldn't be stood out there."

Yesterday's initiative involved a team of 16 detectives and uniformed officers from Bradford Central Police and was targeted specifically at prostitutes rather than kerb crawlers.

Within their first hour undercover officers had observed and arrested three women openly touting for business in the Sunbridge Road area. The operation started at noon and ran on into the evening.

Police also arrested a 17-year-old youth in Sunbridge Road for alleged robbery from a prostitute after attacking her with a bottle in a row over payment. He was being questioned by officers today.

DI Binns said: "We've had a number of complaints about office workers being mistaken for prostitutes. Ordinary people's quality of life is being effected."

The operation was a mixture of undercover policing during daylight and high visibility night-time patrols.

Women arrested were taken to the cells at Bradford Central Police and either cautioned or charged.

The operation is part of a series of on-going initiatives to tackle the problem of prostitution and kerb crawling in Bradford.

West Yorkshire Police is mounting a force-wide campaign in the run up to Christmas to crack down on kerb crawlers.

Earlier this year, the Telegraph & Argus reported how kerb crawlers visiting Bradford's notorious red light district were being sent letters warning them they were one step away from prosecution.

DI Binns said: "We are running a series of initiatives to tackle the problem. They include sending letters to suspected kerb crawlers and, if they are convicted, naming and shaming them."