A legal loophole means that lap dance clubs share the same licence as cafes or restaurants, yet they offer entertainment which is clearly more similar to that of sex cinemas or peep shows.

The loophole has allowed lap dance clubs to open more or less anywhere they choose and has made it very difficult for local councils or local communities to have a say in this.

These clubs are incompatible with respect, dignity and equality between the sexes.

They devalue love and fidelity. They treat women as sex objects and normalise the paying of women by men for sexual services, so much so that men visiting these clubs think there is nothing wrong in paying £20 to a young woman and retreating into a private booth with her, to watch her strip and perform a fully nude dance less then three feet from him.

The use of women in such degrading entertainment devalues the reputation of all women.

I welcome the Government's consultation with local councils on this issue, including the proposal to close the loophole and re-categorise lap dance clubs as sex-encounter establishments – venues where visual entertainment for sexual stimulation takes place.

This will give our local council the same licensing powers as apply to sex shops and sex cinemas and will give our community more of a say in deciding how many and where, lap dance clubs are licensed in our area.

I therefore urge our local council to use the consultation to call for re-categorisation of lap dance clubs on our behalf.

R MICKLETHWAITE, Leeds.