ANN RED LIGHT AREA TOUR; Widdecombe will walk streets for TV.

Byline: By Paula Murray

ANN Widdecombe is to tour Britain's red-light districts.

The former Conservative minister will visit them for a new social campaigning television series.

ITV have signed up the MP for a three-part series called Ann Widdecombe Versus, in which she tackles key social issues. It begins with Widdecombe addressing the sex trade.

She'll visit areas blighted by the sex industry and meet prostitutes, their clients and pimps to see how effective the law is in dealing with the problem.

The series follows the success of Widdecombe's report on the nation's hoodies for Tonight with Trevor McDonald.

Another episode will see her investigate the UK's benefits culture.

She'll move in with a jobless father, his wife and mistress who receive pounds 25,000 a year in handouts to support their kids.

Widdecombe looks at whether the payments are justified and what can be done to remove the dependency on benefits.

The final show will see her spend time with gypsies and look at issues surrounding them.

The series is the latest in a string of TV appearances by Widdecombe, who starred in ITV1's Celebrity Fit Club.

She fronted her own agony aunt-style show for BBC2 called the The Widdecombe Project and has been a guest host on Have I Got News For You.

She was also the subject of a Louis The roux documentary.

Her feature on hoodies for Trevor McDonald's programme, in which she spent a week on a London council estate, attracted 5.5 million viewers.

Anne Widdecombe Versus will be broadcast later this year.

CAPTION(S):

SERIES: Widdecombe