Sex shops don`t worry Brummies

Talk of sex shops and skimpy lingerie might have some people scurrying for cover. Brummies however are made of saucier stuff. Most adults think sex shops and cinemas should be allowed to stay open later in the evening and would not object if signs advertising the premises were more explicit. Almost two-thirds of those questioned in a survey for the city council could identify at least one of ten licensed adult shops and cinemas in central Birmingham. Only one-fifth, however, admitted to visiting such an establishment in the past two years. The survey uncovered a surprisingly liberal attitude towards sex shop window displays. The council`s licensing conditions insist the only wording that may appear on shop fronts is "Private Shop" or "Adult Shop". Windows have to be obscured and the interior of the premises cannot be visible. Just over half of those questioned thought the words "adult play things" on the windows of adult shops would be acceptable. A similar proportion were happy with the description "licensed sex shop, DVDs, videos, toys and more". Two-thirds thought it was fairly acceptable or very acceptable to display lingerie in shop windows. Opinion was split 50-50 on whether the existing ban on sex establishments opening on Sundays should be lifted. Just over half were against opening on Christian holidays, while a similar proportion had no objection to opening on other religious festivals such as Diwali and Eid. The survey was carried out by Research by Design, which conducted 300 street interviews in the city centre between August 9 and 26. **Police are objecting to a proposal to open a sex shop in one of Birmingham`s best-known shopping streets. Licensing Inspector, Insp Keith Arnold, who is urging the city council to reject a sex shop licence for 102 Corporation Street, said: "The premises are in close vicinity to Virgin Megastore, which by its nature attracts large numbers of children and young people. "Corporation Street is very much a family shopping area as well as one of the major retail streets in the city centre. This type of premises is inappropriate for this location."