The investigation which spoke to both those who ran escort agencies and those who used them revealed a deep split in the industry about what it should be delivering and how it was perceived.

The article was part of a series examining the real bottom line of various niche or unusual industries –previous subjects have included Christmas Pantomime and Ice cream men, but it was the escort agency piece that created the most interest.

“We knew it would cause a fuss but the rise in traffic (some 25 per cent) has come from a whole host of sites from which  we wouldn’t usually expect readers, “ said deputy editor Stuart Anderson.

“it is a cracking business story and writer Liz Donevan found some very interesting angles.

“Perhaps the most interesting thing , however, is to see where much of the extra traffic has come from. There are some strange sites out there with huge followings. That in itself might be worth another piece”