A sex-for-sale computer e-mail operation in the North-East has been closed down.

Engineers with Internet providers ntl, on Teesside, pulled the plug on the red light guide to Middlesbrough yesterday.

The vice promoter, who uses the pseudonym Bikerman, compiles the website Boro Girls, which lists prostitutes' telephone numbers, sex services and charges - and performance reviews.

Bikerman invited prostitutes' clients to send him e-mail reports on their encounters with women advertising on the website, detailing what they were prepared to do and giving a value-for-money rating.

Councillor Ken Walker, leader of Middlesbrough Borough Council, called for criminal charges to be brought against the website's creators.

He said last night: "It is difficult to think of anything more sick or irresponsible than this site."

A spokesman for Cleveland Police said: "We are aware of the website and closely monitor it. There may not be anything strictly illegal in developing such a site, or creating a site, but our main concern is it may be putting girls in danger."

After a call from The Northern Echo, ntl blocked e-mail to the site, after finding it breached the company's user policy in publishing offensive, abusive or obscene material.

A spokeswoman said: "That e-mail address has been stopped and we will be contacting the user to tell him he is in breach of our user policy.''

Ntl engineers have started a search to trace the authors of the Boro Girls website, which is not hosted via ntlworld, to ask them to remove it.

Bikerman's cheeky advice to clients is to leave their cars parked on main roads because of the high rates of car crime on Middlesbrough's estates.

Barnardo's, which is working with child and teenage prostitutes in Middlesbrough, said it was concerned about prostitution offered over the Internet.

l New powers will mean that from October 1, Cleveland Police will be able to arrest kerb crawlers, detain and interview them at police stations and search premises without a warrant.

The force is also pressing local MPs to call for legislation which will include penalty points on driving licences for people caught kerb-crawling, and in persistent cases confiscation of their cars.