Sign up to the Hull Live newsletter for daily updates and breaking news Sign up here! Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Desperate women are being driven towards prostitution due to financial struggles caused by Universal Credit.

The Work and Pensions Committee held its first hearing on evidence the rise in sex work across the UK was linked to financial struggles under the new benefit system.

MPs were told on Wednesday, May 22, by a number of charities there was a strong link between women being driven to “survival sex” as a result of delayed Universal Credit payments.

Laura Seebohm, of the Changing Lives charity, told the committee one woman went looking for punters to find a place to sleep.

She said: “One woman we work with said, ‘I hate sleeping on the street, I tried to find a punter who would let me sleep for free sex. I hate it but I hate sleeping on the street more’.”

The committee launched its inquiry in March in response to evidence from charities showing the increasing number of women who have been forced into sex work due to poverty.

The committee heard on Wednesday some women were charging as little as £2 or offering to perform sex acts for food.

Ms Seebohm added Universal Credit had “really exacerbated” financial hardships.

She added: “As things like Universal Credit exacerbate financial hardships, we see more women coming to our service saying they are finding themselves in situations where they are selling sex because of the poverty they find themselves in.

How to pay your Universal Credit payments if you're struggling

Video Loading Video Unavailable Click to play Tap to play The video will start in 8 Cancel Play now

"We are told time and time again that they are getting involved in selling sex directly because of issues around Universal Credit.

"There are increases in the numbers of women starting to sell sex, when they haven't done it before."

The committee heard some women who had escaped sex work previously had gone back due to delays in Universal Credit payments.

Sarah McManus, from Stockton-on-Tees based charity A Way Out, said: “We have had women that haven’t sex-worked for some time that have come back out because they haven’t had the Universal Credit coming through as quickly as they’d hoped.”

Amber Wilson from Basis Yorkshire, a charity which supports sex workers in Leeds, warned the committee the issue was “only the tip of the iceberg”.

Follow Hull Live

Our daily newsletter - To get the latest headlines direct to your email inbox every day, click here.

Download our app - You can download our free app for iPhone and iPad from Apple's App Store , or get the Android version from Google Play .

Follow Hull Live on Facebook - Like our Facebook page to get the latest news in your feed and join in the lively discussions in the comments. Click here to give it a like!

Follow us on Twitter - For breaking news and the latest stories, click here to follow Hull Live on Twitter.

Follow us on Instagram - On the Hull Live Instagram page we share gorgeous pictures of our stunning city - and if you tag us in your posts, we could repost your picture on our page! We also put the latest news in our Instagram Stories. Click here to follow Hull Live on Instagram .