Council in lap dance crusade

LAP DANCING clubs in Liverpool have been given six months to prove they can regulate themselves - or they will face a ban on the removal of dancers' G-strings.

City councillors were presented yesterday with the vexed issue of banning contact between the dancers and customers at the clubs.

The licensing committee of 10 men heard there was a persistent practice among the dancers of removing their G-strings and performing only 12 inches from customers.

Merseyside Police is unhappy about such activity and asked Liverpool's licensing committee to rule that G-strings should not be removed or repositioned in any way and that dancers should be no closer than 24 inches from the customer. "Officers have visited the four bars for some time and on a number of occasions have been concerned by the conduct of some of the dancers," Sergeant Ian Hannant told the committee. "Some dancers have touched themselves in an obscene manner both with clothing on and when the G-string has been removed."

But Clara Wall, a 25-year-old dancer at the Sugar Fantasy Bar, said customers could see more of the dancer if they were obliged to stay at least 24 inches away. "We take the G-string off for 30 seconds of the three-minute dance and that is a just a pure tease," she insisted.

The committee had already deferred a decision and drew a rather fine line to resolve matters: G-strings could be removed but there should be no nudity on stage at any of the city's clubs. "The situation will be closely monitored ... and the committee wishes the matter to be looked at again in six months," said the committee's chairman, Bill Roberts.

The councillors must wait until March to review the issue.