Club protests to continue

Newcastle's first lap-dancing club has been attracting interest from women who have been photographing customers and trying to shame them by posting their pictures on a Web site called theyhavetopayforit.com.

The For Your Eyes Only club opened just three weeks ago and is the fifth in the chain owned by pub operator SFI. Edward Lavelle, managing director of the chain of clubs, is accustomed to protests, but he said people usually raised their concerns during the licensing and application stages.

The Web site seems to have been largely ineffective. Lavelle said it had featured just three indistinct pictures which may have included a bouncer at the club. It has now been closed by service provider Angelfire for violating data protection and human rights legislation, although campaigners have said they will continue their protests.

Lavelle added that the publicity - which included a half-hour slot on a local BBC current affairs television programme - had not proved "disadvantageous". While he suspected one or two customers may have been deterred by the threat of exposure, he was sure others had come because the controversy had heightened the club's profile.