Lap dancing has been ruled out in Coventry – unless the public indicates otherwise.

The City Council’s licensing authority has ruled against women stripping naked to dance on tables in Club Release in The Burges, but say they are willing to canvass the views of the public.

Club owner Perry Andreou applied for permission to stage the latest club craze, but has been informed that it would contravene the terms of his public entertainment licence which forbids conduct likely to offend public decency.

But Councillor Eric Linton, chairman of the licensing committee says:

"We want to know what people think.

"We shall consult widely and we cannot say that lap dancing will never happen."

Mr Andreou said he would not be appealing against the committee’s decision, which he understood would be reconsidered in the summer when the conditions applying to entertainment licences could be altered.

The club owner said he intended to target respectable middle class people who currently travel to Birmingham for lap dancing entertainment. He said eighty per cent of his regular customers had asked him to arrange it.

He said he would operate strict rules. Customers would be required to remain seated at tables; there would be no touching of the dancers allowed, no propositioning and no shouting.