SEX workers are finding themselves in increasing financial crisis during lockdown conditions.

While many of us are facing reduced hours, furlough, or uncertainty, those in the sex industry are equally, if not more so, suffering the impact of social distancing and other lockdown measures.

Sex workers can be students or single mums who find sex work fits in with their lifestyle and enables them to work around studying and childcare.

For these women, the legality of their work means there is little if any support available from the state, putting them in the position of risking their health or struggling to support themselves and their families.

But for others, sex is a business as much as any other and they have become successful law-abiding business in their own right, paying taxes and managing their time as any other entrepreneur or small business owner.

Porn star and escort Pixie Peach (her working name) has experienced most levels of the industry, working in parlours throughout the country but now managing herself as a one woman brand.

The 27-year-old mum of one, who was educated at a private school in North Wales, is living and working in England where the impact of a second lockdown and the immediate prospect of living in a Tier 3 area has forced her to make changes to her working and private life.

She said: "Within the sex industry I have dipped my fingers in most pies. I have been on the front page of PornHub featuring in Fake Taxi and other pornos, I am a successful webcam model and long time escort, starting my career in parlours and moving onto working independently. More recently I have starting hosting my own sex parties bringing to life the fantasy of that much wanted intimacy with your favourite pornstars. Covid-19 has hit my industry in many ways and effected my business in many ways.

"My main two jobs within the sex industry are escorting and hosting sex parties, along with porn. These have been the hardest hit positions since the coronavirus outbreak.

"With the inability to be in close proximity to another person, escorting and parties are a thing of the past in the current climate. I have not only lost money from party venues I had previously booked before the outbreak that was non refundable, I have also lost a big income I rely on each month to get by.

"Escorting is another part of my income that I need to get by monthly and have not been able to sustain. Although many girls in the industry have continued to work I refuse to put myself and others at risk of this virus. The main platform I use to promote my work and services, adultwork.com, have produced new guidelines of removing escorting from the profiles of working girls until it is safe to return and I will not return to that line of work until they deem it safe along with the governments lifted restrictions."

She added: "Due to being a high risk and having a young child I would never go against government guidelines as I would refuse to take that risk. However, as much as I don’t agree with potentially spreading a deadly virus, I understand not everyone is in my position to be able to survive not working with no sight to this being over."

Although still stigmatised and misunderstood, Pixie says sex work is a career choice she and other women like her have made.

She said: "Sex work has been a part of my life since I was 18 years old. I chose to go into the industry out of curiosity and to maintain a luxurious life that I had been provided with growing up.

"Sex work gives me the freedom to work around my child and be a big part of her life and not have to have her in the care of others working 9-5 in a job I would not enjoy. I have a degree and am well-educated, however this is a role I have pursued as a career and developed and grown in.

"I am proud of my decision to engage in this line of work and I think of this as a real job. Sex workers are a part of many humans lives and provides happiness to almost everyone in the world, from watching porn to seeing escorts. I have provided comfort to many people in difficult positions, counselled those who need a friendly face and listening ear and held relationships together providing a release that they can't get elsewhere or lived a lifetime fantasy they may be embarrassed to talk about.

"I am a respectable human, I do good to the world and help charities and more, I pay my taxes and for that believe I do a job just like anyone else."

Websites such as Only Fans and adultwork have enabled sex workers to continue to work online.

However, the pandemic has seen an increase in the number of women investing in webcams to earn money during the pandemic.

Pixie said: "I have, like many other girls, turned to using webcam and onlyfans/adult content sharing sites as a fulltime job. Although as a mother of a young child it is very hard to find the time with childcare not being available.

"The site is inundated with girls trying to make quick money while on lockdown and out of work along with rates per minute being dropped dramatically, so competition has never been so rife.

"Other articles that have been produced during this lockdown have glamorised sex work so dramatically. While this is a good thing for the ‘sex work is work’ campaign to reduce the discrimination of the industry, it is a bad thing for girls who rely on this work that is now compromised from the influx of new and uneducated participants of it.

"It has reduced the value of what I do for a living making it harder to make the same wage as previously and also meant to compete in the current climate I have had to do more for less."

"Luckily for myself I have been sensible with money and understand I am blessed to be able to make a comfortable income and have had savings in case something ever went wrong - though I was thinking it would be a broken leg or heavy period that would prevent me working and not a global pandemic closing down the world. Though my outgoings monthly are starting to dry up my savings and causing me to worry about how long this can go on for before I will run out of money.

"I work where I can and when I can but with a young child and no childcare it is proving difficult to get the time."