An anti-sex trafficking charity has called for a boycott of the Croydon Advertiser after the newspaper scored an own goal by exposing a brothel advertised in the back pages of its paper.

Last Friday, the newspaper ran a story on the front page of their paper headlined: “Sinister” brothel uncovered next to charity office. The same establishment was advertised on page 52 of the paper.

A Croydon Community Against Trafficking (CCAT) spokeswoman said the Advertiser and its sister publication the Post had been advertising the brothel for years "making what must amount to vast sums of money from the illegal establishment".

She said: "The article also omits to mention that CCAT has brought this very fact to the attention of the Croydon Advertiser in the past and has provided the Advertiser with evidence that many of the other adverts in the newspaper are for similar brothels.

"In May 2009, CCAT supplied the paper with names, addresses, prices and services provided for all establishments advertised. Oriental Massage Croydon, or Fantasy Massage, as it is known in today’s paper, was on this list."

She added: “CCAT is baffled by the utter hypocrisy of the Croydon Advertiser – to have a front page article about sinister brothels in our midst and then take money from the same brothel and help it to thrive, demonstrates an alarming degree of double standards from a family newspaper.

“We are calling on our supporters to boycott the Croydon Advertiser and Croydon Post until they stop making a profit from the exploitation of women.”

One of CCAT’s main aims is to stop local newspapers carrying adult advertisements.

More than 40 per cent of men access off-street prostitutes through the local media.

The Croydon Guardian, and publisher Newsquest’s 305 titles nationwide banned adult advertisements in July, 2008.

No one from the Croydon Advertiser was available to comment.