Internet ‘killing off ’ sex establishments

Strip clubs and sex shops are disappearing from the high street, as owners say the internet is killing their businesses.

A Freedom of Information request made by the BBC showed that the number of sex establishment licences issued by councils fell from 386 in 2013 to 256 in 2018.

The licences, which must be renewed every year, cover establishments such as sex cinemas, lap dancing clubs and sex shops. The number rose between 2011 and 2013 as the rules for lap dancing clubs changed. Previously they were regulated in the same way as pubs and nightclubs, but since 2010 have been categorised as sexual entertainment venues instead.

Michael Bray, 70, a Huddersfieldbased sex shop owner, said: “The internet has killed my business.”

Catherine Mayer, co-founder of the Women’s Equality Party, said that the clientele for strip clubs had narrowed because businesses no longer felt it appropriate to visit them with clients.