Prostitutes cashing in on Olympics

The world's oldest profession is going strong during the Olympics despite government and police cracking down on prostitution before the Games.

Signs advertising "massage", "models" or "sauna" are plentiful across the notorious red light district in central Soho and even near the east London Olympic precinct at Stratford.

Street walkers around the city are clearly recognisable if you know where to look and they seem undeterred by the increased presence of police and civil authorities.

The crackdown on the brothels was aimed at improving the family-friendly image of the Games.

Police in the east London borough of Newham closed around 80 brothels in the 18 months to March with concerns raised at the time that more sex workers might take to the streets.

Prostitution is legal in Britain but maintaining a brothel and kerb-crawling are not.

One sex worker told Yahoo!7 she was initially expecting a downturn in business because people were told to get out of the city for the Olympics and many tourists would be here with their families.

Raina, a 19-year-old German, said most of the clients she has seen in the past few weeks have been international but would not be drawn on which countries they were from.

"I would say work has doubled since the Olympics started and it's busier this week," she said.

"The regulars are still around."

Another prostitute, Natalia, 24, said there seem to be more men in their early 20s looking for sex.

"Business is better than usual because there are more people in the city," she said.

"There are a lot of police which makes working harder."

Both women offered services from STG30 ($A45) for half an hour but refused to disclose how much they were making daily.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson openly supports a clear out of the sex trade.

Ahead of the Olympics a statement on his website said: "We are determined to crack down on prostitution and human trafficking in the run up to the London 2012 Games."

However, calling cards for sex workers are still visible and new ones have been left in many phone boxes around the city.

Human trafficking to con tourists seems to have been combated by authorities.

The usual hustler haunts of Westminster Bridge and Hungerford Bridge are saved for the odd busker or homeless person.

London 2012 volunteer James, who walks along the River Thames as a guide for tourists, said he hasn't seen any tricksters since the big bust a few months ago.

In June, dozens of Romanian illegal gamblers were nabbed by police who uncovered cash and gaming sets.

"The moral of the story is don't get sucked in by people who say you can win cash," James said.

"They are all in on it.

"The police have made a conscious effort to clean this area up because of the Olympics."

Tube stations are also warning passengers that various areas are prone to pick pocketing.

"You might find some around Piccadilly Circus or Leicester Square where there a big crowds," James said.

"But that could happen in any city."