Claire Bentley-Smith and Carole Lee, two residents of Leeds, want the scheme scrapped

“Selling sex in Holbeck is safer these days,” says Laura, though what she means by safe is that people are more likely to notice if she is murdered.

“They know my face now. If I were to go missing, they’d remember me. Before, nobody would have noticed.”

Laura considers that to be a bonus. Others, however, have branded a bold four-year experiment with a “legal” red light district in Leeds a reckless failure.

Even the councillor who championed the zone believes it was a mistake. “We tried something and it hasn’t worked,” says Mark Dobson. “Sometimes the hardest thing to say is we got this wrong.” The scheme is under review, while women like Laura continue to take their chances.

Until 2014, Leeds tackled prostitution