Newspapers carrying prostitution advertisements should face the same penalties as men who pay to have sex with trafficked women, a campaign group has said.

Under new Government legislation men can be prosecuted if they pay for sex with a trafficked woman whether they knew about her situation or not.

Croydon Community Against Trafficking (CCAT) said newspaper’s carrying ads for brothels are just as guilty for sustaining “a vile trade in human life” as the men who use them and should also be held criminally responsible.

The news comes as leading members of Lambeth Council, Lambeth police, and NHS Lambeth vowed to withdraw advertising from newspapers like the South London Press until they stop publishing sex adverts.

Lambeth First - Lambeth’s local strategic partnership - passed a motion at its board meeting on February 25 calling on all its partners, including the police, NHS, Lambeth College, and the voluntary sector, to withdraw advertising from such newspapers.

It also praised Newsquest, the publisher of the Streatham Guardian, for banning the adverts from its 305 titles nationwide in 2008.

Newsquest took action after it was persuaded there was a clear link between the adverts and women being trafficked for sex.

A report into the sex industry, commissioned by MP Harriet Harman, showed more than 40 per cent of men access off-street prostitutes through local newspapers.

Government ministers are now considering criminalising publishers who run adverts for massage parlours and saunas.

A CCAT spokeswoman said: “Newspaper publishers have a social and moral responsibility to ensure they are not advertising illegal services in their pages - a simple phone call will demonstrate many of the massage parlours advertised are actually brothels.

“Those that profit from people being sold against their will, are profiting from slavery, and this is completely unacceptable.

“Newsquest has taken a principled stand in this fight but other newspaper companies refuse to follow their example.

“Therefore we believe it is time for legislation to be introduced which criminalises the publication and distribution of the advertisements for brothels which are helping to sustain a vile trade in human life.

“It is high time publishers were made liable for what is advertised in their newspapers.”