Police are hunting a drug-addicted prostitute after she failed to attend court.

Amy Painton was issued with an interim antisocial behaviour order at Oxford Magistrates' Court on Monday last week.

The order, sought by Oxford City Council, banned her from 39 council-owned flats across the city.

Magistrates heard Painton befriended vulnerable tenants living in temporary accommodation reserved for the homeless. She then moved in and used the flats for prostitution and drug-taking.

Painton was due back in court on Friday to be served with a full Asbo, but she failed to appear - allegedly a breach of the interim order.

Pc Jim Abram, of Thames Valley Police, told the Oxford Mail officers were actively seeking to find the 28-year-old.

He said: "We're looking for her - patrols are out."

Painton's 39 mini-brothels stretched from Blackbird Leys to Summertown, Marston and Iffley Road. Residents living near the flats welcomed the ban, after suffering problems linked to her activities.

If Painton breaches her Asbo, which lasts two years, she could be jailed for up to five years.

Oxford City Council declined to comment on the alleged breach.