Kerb crawling, and abuse through child prostitution are being discussed at a pioneering conference on Teesside.

'Trading in Sex' is being led by the children's charity Barnados's in partnership with Cleveland Police, and other groups.

Internet pornography, child prostitution and and an analysis of kerb crawlers coming into Teesside's red light districts will be discussed.

Inspector Gary Gamesby, from the Middlesbrough Vice Unit, said Teesside had a wealth of information to share on the problem of prostitution.

This has resulted in a shift in focus to the prosecution of kerb crawlers and the protection of young people

Wendy Shepherd, SECOS

The conference, on Tuesday, is being led by Barnardos's SECOS (Sexual Exploitation of Children on the Streets) project.

Wendy Shepherd, SECOS project manager, said: "How to tackle the issue of children being exploited through prostitution is one which faces crime and disorder partnerships nationwide."

Ms Shepherd said Middlesborough was fortunate to have a scheme up and running with the aim of tackling prostitution.

"This has resulted in a shift in focus to the prosecution of kerb crawlers and the protection of young people," she said.

Inspector Gamesby told BBC Radio Cleveland: "We do some groundbreaking things in Middlesbrough.

"We were the first in the country to get a anti-social behaviour order on a kerb crawler and we use groundbreaking covert techniques to try and catch these kerb crawlers.

"I welcome the opportunity at the conference to share with colleagues our research and ongoing work."