THIS is the dramatic moment when two suspected prostitutes were led away in handcuffs after their door was battered in during a raid in Worcester.

The women were in bed when eight officers, plain clothed and uniformed, led by DS Craig Tennant from reactive CID smashed their way into the house in a sleepy cul-de-sac in St Peter's yesterday (Thursday) morning.

Officers rammed their way through the wooden door and climbed in via a hole they had made in the bottom panel, shouting "police!" as they rushed inside.

Once they had got dressed the women, aged 34 and 26, who did not put up a struggle, were led away in handcuffs after being arrested on suspicion of being involved in the management of a brothel. Both women are now being questioned at Worcester Police Station but so far have not been charged. As part of the same investigation a third woman, aged 41, was arrested yesterday in Banbury, also on suspicion of being involved in the management of a brothel, as officers from West Mercia Police worked with colleagues in Oxfordshire. She was scheduled to be taken to Worcester yesterday as the investigation continues.

During the raid in Worcester police searched the one bedroom terraced house for evidence, looking in bins, the garden and even a vase in the window. Officers gathered evidence at the scene but much of the groundwork had already been done as part of a painstaking investigation which included surveillance of the property.

DS Tennant said: "This investigation has been ongoing for some time. We are aware that there had been concerns for a number of months over activities at the address and we conducted a painstaking operation to gather evidence. The residents have been complaining about this for some time."

DS Tennant said officers had been gathering evidence covertly for the last two months. DS Tennant knocked on several doors in the area to provide reassurance to neighbours and to explain what had happened and why they were there. DS Tennant said he was still looking for information that could assist with the investigation, particularly from neighbours. Anyone with information can contact him on the non-emergency number 101.