Hotels in Twickenham and Tolworth were among those used by a sex trafficking ring which exploited girls as young as 13 by plying them with drink and drugs so they could carry out illegal sex acts with older men.

Diane Chilcott, 40, and Daniel Pusey, 21, worked together to lure and then sexually exploit three girls aged between 13 and 15 at hotels across north Surrey and west London, Guildford Crown Court heard.

Police have now appealed to hotel workers to contact the police if they come across a situation involving a child that looks or feels suspicious.

Detective Inspector Richard Haycock, from Surrey Police’s Complex Abuse Unit, said: “I commend the victims for their bravery in speaking to authorities and seeing the legal process through to the end, this has been a long and difficult journey for them.

"If anyone is, or has been, in a similar situation, or has concerns about any child - I urge you to please come forward and tell someone who can help you.

“Specialist officers have worked closely with social services and police colleagues in London to investigate this case and the police are also working with the hotel industry through the Operation Makesafe initiative to ensure their staff are alert to possible warning signs of children at risk.

“If you work in a hotel and come across a situation involving a child that looks or feels suspicious, talk to your supervisor and contact the police on 101 quoting Operation Makesafe.

"Don’t ignore your gut feeling that something is not right. Say something if you see something.”

Chilcott used her home in West Drayton as a base where the girls were plied with drink and drugs before being taken to hotels, also at Heathrow and Staines, the court heard.

Pusey had illegal sex even though he was on police bail after officers found him in bed at home in Chertsey with a 13-year-old girl.

The court heard he told one of the youngsters at a Travelodge in west London: “I want to f*** you on a bed of money.”

After a four-week trial, Pusey was found guilty of four counts of facilitating travel to exploit and Chilcott was convicted of three counts of facilitating travel to exploit.

Pusey had been found guilty of seven offences of sexual activity with a child in connection with this case during a trial which finished in April, but this could not be reported at the time for legal reasons.

The convictions under the Modern Slavery Act relate to the three underage girls, all of whom were aged between 13 and 15, and cannot be identified for legal reasons.

Christine Mission, from the Crown Prosecution Service, said: “The defendants claimed they had no intention of exploiting the girls and were not aware that another person would commit an offence against them. The prosecution sought to prove that this claim was a lie and the jury has now agreed."

The defendants will be sentenced on December 18. Two other defendants accused of being part of the ring were cleared at an earlier trial.