LONDON VAUXHALL DEALERS

• New firms spring up offering 'Olympic escorts' and 'gold medal services'
  
• Increased activity in east London near Stratford stadium and Olympic Village
  
• Residents want police crackdown on pimps rather than prostitutes
• Children's charity Barnardo's fears growth in child sex trafficking to London
  

By Martha De Lacey

PUBLISHED: 04:57 EST, 27 June 2012 | UPDATED: 06:12 EST, 27 June 2012

Fears that prostitution and sex trafficking will rise in the capital during the Olympics are growing, as it emerged escort agencies are adopting the Olympic name, laying on extra women and offering special 'gold medal services'.

Furthermore, Barnardo's, Britain's largest children’s charity, has revealed that internal trafficking of UK children to London for sexual exploitation during the games is a 'very real concern', and is calling on people to be extra vigilant - particularly those working in the hospitality industry.

On the rise: Prostitution and sex crimes tend to increase sharply whenever there is a major sporting event

Major sporting events always tend to precipitate a boom in the sex industry, with hundreds of thousands of visitors - including site workers, spectators and athletes - flooding an area.

Sex trafficking almost doubled during the 2004 Athens Olympics, and there were reports of sex attacks in the athletes' village at Sydney in 2000.

And, one month before the games begin, many London-based escort agencies are cashing in on this.

Some online organisations have adopted themed names, such as Olympic Escorts, Olympic Escorts Agency and Olympic Escorts 2012.

Others - including Sunny Escorts, Exotic Secret, Dream Rush and Luxury Liasons - are all offering extra women in east London around the Stratford stadium and Olympic Village, themed services, 'gold' packages and special offers.

Olympic boom: Hundreds of thousands of site workers, spectators and athletes will flood the Stratford stadium, causing increased demand within the sex trade all over London

'Come to win a gold medal with this Olympic London Escort!' advertises Olympic Escorts 2012, while Sunny Escorts' online Olympic page says: 'Our Stratford escorts are on standby for some very busy days, and our Hackney escorts are leaving their diaries open ready for the influx of calls for Olympics escort services.

'The London Olympics will see millions of visitors flood into London over the course of the games. Many of these visitors will be gentlemen who desire the company of a beautiful woman over dinner or for some interesting and exciting female company during the course of their stay in the Capital.'

Cashing in: Online agencies such as Olympic Escorts 2012 are using the games' name to increase traffic flow to their sites

Taking the name: London agencies such as Olympic Escorts are adopting the word 'Olympic' and are offering special promotions to coincide with the games

Extra business: Sunny Escorts expect their female staff to be 'extremely busy during the Olympic Games in London'

But east London residents in the Olympic borough of Tower Hamlets are petitioning for the local authority and police to stop targeting street prostitutes with banning orders and focus instead on the pimps and organised gangs they say are controlling prostitution and sex trafficking.

Members of the Tower Hamlets Residents Solidarity campaign will meet tonight in Bethnal Green community centre St Margaret’s House.

Industry boom: Rival agencies are offering 'gold standard Olympic escorts' to coincide with the games

Industry boom: Sex trafficking almost doubled during the 2004 Athens games

Meanwhile, children's charity Barnardo's have called for people to be 'extra vigilant during the games', since 'anecdotal evidence shows that whenever there is a major event with a "party atmosphere" child sexual exploitation can occur'.

Anne Marie Carrie, the charity's chief executive, said: 'We know from the work we do on the ground with children that the risk of boys and girls being trafficked and sexually exploited during major events is a very real threat.

'With a huge influx of visitors to the capital everyone needs to play their part in spotting the signs that sexual exploitation is taking place.'

The Metropolitan Police Authority (MPA) issued a warning in 2009 that London could see an increase in not only prostitution and sex trafficking during the games, but also domestic attacks, rape and sexual assaults following increased drinking.

Special teams of officers will be deployed during the games to target those involved in human trafficking.