THE devastated mother of a 13-year-old schoolgirl prostitute has revealed the shocking truth behind Bolton's illegal sex trade.

The child -- who cannot be named for legal reasons -- was introduced into a life of prostitution by a rent boy, aged 14.

The mother believes that her daughter is not alone in being enticed into the town's sordid sex trade.

And in a tearful plea to the Evening News she urged: "Let parents in the town know what is happening. If this can happen to my daughter it can happen to any other young girl."

The 31-year-old mother is now urging Bolton police and the town's Social Services to protect innocent children from prostitution.

Her nightmare began four months ago when her daughter became friends with a 14 year old boy -- who turned out to be a rent boy.

She said: "He was very polite and proper and my daughter thought she was in love with him. Then she started staying out all hours. Her mood changed and she became aggressive and started swearing. I also noticed that she had started drinking.

"I tried to talk to her about it but she just became crazy. I didn't want to lose her so I tried to stay calm. I thought if I did get heavy she would disappear to London and I'd never see her again."

As soon as the mother was certain that her daughter had become a prostitute she turned to the police for help.

The mother claims she discovered her daughter was staying with a local businessman. She says that man has been interviewed and warned never to see the girl again.

She said: "The police know about everything, but they should be doing more. These children need protection. I have been told that child prostitution in Bolton is a massive problem. But why isn't anything being done to protect these children?"

The teenager, who has now stopped selling sex on the streets, is undergoing counselling after becoming subdued and depressed.

The mother fears her daughter now faces a lifetime of anguish after her ordeal.

She said: "I want other parents in the town to know what has happened to my daughter because I would not want any other mother to go through the ordeal I have had to face over the last four months.

"I believe this could happen to any parent in the town. My daughter comes from a loving home. We were like sisters and were very close. Now I have to pick up the pieces. I have given up my full-time job to go part-time so that I can spend more time with her."

Tearfully she added: "I love my daughter so much. I tried to warn her -- but I was so scared that I could lose her forever ."

The chairman of Bolton's Prostitution Forum Cllr Frank White said today the claims of the mother "concerned" him.

He urged her to contact the police and Bolton Council's Social Services Department again with her information.

Cllr White said: "We have been concerned at past allegations of schoolgirl prostitution and have investigated them with the co-operation of the police and older prostitutes themselves.

"There is no evidence of girls aged under 16 actively working on the streets.

"But if there is a case as alleged I would urge the woman to get in touch with the police and social services and action will be taken.

"It is concerning. The assessment that we have from the older working women is that they would not tolerate schoolgirls on the streets.

"But off-street prostitution is very different. This is the most difficult to trace because it is undercover and we have no evidence of it occurring."