Two held in 'brothel' raid
Senior detectives say they believe the mansion-style property in Glencarnock Close (pictured) was being run as a brothel and that they acted following concerns of neighbours.
Two people were arrested at the scene of the strike in the residential street, off St Michael's Road, on Wednesday evening.
Detectives and uniformed police surrounded the property where a 61-year-old man was arrested after being found in undergrowth in the back garden.
A 49-year-old woman was also detained on suspicion of managing a brothel for prostitution.
The man is alleged to have assisted her in the running the place.
Police seized £2,000 cash from what they described as 'working rooms' together with a quantity of 'sex industry paraphernalia'.
Torquay CID's Det Sgt Chris Yarwood, who led the raid just after 8pm, said afterwards: "We believe this property was being run as a brothel. We acted because the scale of concern raised by local residents was escalating.
"We wanted to deal with it as quickly and as appropriately as we could.
"We did have concerns about the welfare of the people working there. They have been offered any help they might want in the wake of what has happened."
He added: "At this stage we have no immediate anxieties about human trafficking or any international tie to these premises."
Two British women were spoken to by police at the property. They helped with inquiries before being allowed home.
Sgt Scott Bellingham, Torbay Police's Neighbourhood Beat Supervisor, thanked local residents for their assistance before the raid.
"This is another example of how the local community is reporting alleged crime which we are acting on by taking positive action," he said.
Police also revealed they had been aware of 'local tensions' in the neighbourhood after hearing from worried residents at the beginning of the month.
The most recent contact from a 'concerned' member of the public was a day before the raid on June 23.
One anonymous neighbour said: "They have always been a bit strange, but they are our neighbours."
It is understood the couple have lived in the street for more than 20 years.
Police had been keeping checks on the property for the past month, but a letter-drop to residents in neighbouring St Michaels Road, by an outraged neighbour brought the planned police operation forward.
One mother who lives in Glencarnock Close said she had been keeping a log of cars and times they visited the property for weeks.
"There are places where this does happen but they aren't meant to be in an upmarket residential area in Torquay and I won't stand for it," she said.
One neighbour who did not want to be named said the house had been 'really busy', adding: "We were told they were treating men for sports injuries when I asked what was going on."
Another neighbour lived so close they could hear what was going on inside the house, which has a spiral iron staircase, a painted ceiling and a dormer level.
Luxury light fittings could be seen through the windows, while heavy, ruffled curtains lined the massive window frames.
Another witness said: "If you get up in the night you can hear what is going on.
"I don't think anybody in their right mind would want to live near that. This is a private road and this sort of thing just shouldn't happen."
Officers from as far away as Camborne and Exeter were involved in the operation, which DS Yarwood admitted would take some weeks to resolve after extensive inquiries.
Police spent four hours at the property before leaving at midnight.
The two arrested were taken to Torquay Police Station, less than half-a-mile away, for questioning.
They were kept in cells overnight before being released yesterday on police bail pending further inquiries.
