More than half of the area's prostitutes were said to be taking part in the action. Some were young girls, but others were middle-aged mothers and grandmothers.

Nicky Adams, a spokesman for the English Collective of Prostitutes, said that the strike would hit those who want to drive them out of Soho where it hurts most. "These women, some of whom have been living and working here for over 20 years, are an important presence in Soho," she said. "They add to the character of the area and are in fact a tourist attraction which Westminster Council benefits from."

Nina Lopez-Jones, another Collective spokesman, claimed that the prostitutes had the backing of residents and business people in the red light district. "Over 600 people have signed our campaign petition so far including some of our customers, some of whom probably work for Westminster Council or Parliament."

Wearing fancy dress masks on their march to hide their identities for fear of repercussions, the women chanted: "We won't go." They waved placards claiming that Westminster Council had threatened their landlords with compulsory purchase orders unless the prostitutes were evicted from their premises.

One prostitute's maid, Ronny Lee, 42, from Yorkshire, claimed that two properties already compulsorily purchased by the council had been turned into sex shops. She said: "It's all about money. Porn barons have to pay the council over £20,000 a year for a sex shop licence and they cannot make any sort of money from single working girls in each flat."

According to a recent vice squad survey, more than 64 prostitutes live and work in Soho, serving an average clientele of between 20 and 30 men each a day.