A man has become the first person to be prosecuted for attempting to buy sex from a prostitute.

Kunal Sudra, of Woodfield Road, Crawley, West Sussex, was issued with a fine after enforcement officers caught him trying to buy sexual services in Ilford Lane, Ilford.

This incident breaches Redbridge Council’s Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) for attempting to buy sex.

More than £2 million in CCTV and ANPR technology was also provided to Redbridge Council to monitor prostitute areas including Ilford Lane.

After failing to pay the original fine Sudra then appeared at Barkingside Magistrates Court and was fined £300 on Friday, September 27.

He was also ordered to pay costs of £300 after pleading guilty and a victim's surcharge of £30 was also imposed on Friday, September 27.

Earlier this year, the council also successfully bid for more than £460,000 from the government to help tackle street prostitution in the borough.

The cash boost will be used to develop long-term solutions and creating support for male and female sex workers - who may be victims of trafficking.

The PSPO came into force last year, making Redbridge the first local authority in the UK to create a borough-wide zone to stop street prostitution.

It also made it possible for council enforcement officers to hand out £100 on-the-spot fines and disrupt illicit activity on the borough's streets.