Countryside holiday homes in the Peak District are being used as pop-up brothels, the Bishop of Derby has alleged.

The Right Reverend Dr Alastair Redfern, 69, said cottages are being used by gang bosses who traffic women into Britain to work in the sex trade.

It is claimed that the popular tourist destination is a hotspot for traffickers who rent out homes and use them as brothels to make maximum profit before moving onto another area.

Dr Redfern, who has been working with the House of Lords in an attempt to toughen laws on the issue, said woman are coming to the region after being promised work in restaurants or bars, but are being forced into prostitution.

Calling for the public to be more vigilant, he warned that victims are plied with drugs and can be raped up to ten times a day.

The Right Reverend Dr Alastair Redfern

The Church of England bishop said: "Derby is a place where Eastern European women have come in search for a better life, but they have been forced into working in brothels.

"In the Peak District, there are lots of holiday homes used as pop-up brothels. Organised criminals bring vulnerable women in and then use a cottage for business. They stay for four weeks and make a lot of money.

"All they are paying is rent. But they are in secluded areas and before anyone realises what is going on or becomes suspicious about anything then they are off to a new place and they take the women with them.

"What a clever business model. It's a cheap place to rent, especially in comparison to what they would be making.

"This is a serious criminal business. They are forced to work in brothels because the work they were promised does not exist. They have a limited grasp of the language and no money.

"The girls are offered drugs as that's another way to exert control. They become addicted and start to lose everything."