BLACKPOOL'S first all-male lap dancing club has been granted permission to open after police objections were dismissed as "uncorroborated" by magistrates.

Despite police concerns about community safety, the club, Wicked , was granted a full licence following a two-day hearing at Blackpool Magistrates Court on Thursday, June 19.

As revealed in The Citizen in early April, Wicked, owned by Richard Evans, 41, and based at the site of the former Adam 'n' Eve nightspot on Chapel Street, will cater for entirely female audiences.

The venue, which has undergone a £250,000 revamp, features a dance floor, stage and booth area and holds up to 400 women at any one time.

Around 15 male dancers will strut their stuff dressed as cricketers, rugby players and firemen, performing sexy dance routines and stripping down to their underwear for £5-a-time private dances.

Police objected to the licence application claiming they were struggling to cope with a 41 per cent rise in violent crime following the recent opening of other licensed venues in the town.

During the hearing officers presented the court with 13-minute of CCTV footage featuring a number of incidents of drunken behaviour and violence in the resort.

It was ruled the police had failed to justify their claims and a written judgement explained : "The police have failed to make a cogent case as to why this particular application should be dismissed other than by making generalised assumptions as to problems which may or may not accrue. We were not furnished with any evidence as to increased crime figures other than by an inspector in his statement which was uncorroborated."

Speaking after the hearing Sergeant Tony Bushell, of Blackpool Police, feels that the town has enough licensed premises and claims the decision to object had nothing to do with the type of venue.

He says another lap dancing club adds to the image of Blackpool as "grotty and sleazy" and believes that male lap dancers will be more "vulnerable" than their female counterparts.

Sgt Bushell said: "Our view is that Blackpool has reached saturation point with regards to licensed premises.

"We have a system of judging each licensing application on its own merits and look at things like location, capacity and requested opening hours.

"The decision to object to Wicked was based solely on this and had nothing to do with the type of venue.

"It's a fact that the number of late night licences in Blackpool has grown considerably in recent months and, hand-in-hand, is a growth in cases of drunken and violent behaviour.

"Many people think of the image of Blackpool as a grotty and sleazy and the more new licences there are granted, the more these incidents will occur, putting greater demand on town centre officers and turning normal holidaymakers away.

He added: "Another of our main concerns , which the magistrates did not share, was that the club's clientele is entirely women. This often creates problems for police because there tends to be more frequent friction in large groups of women as opposed to men.

"Also we feel that, whereas female lap dancers will rarely have to cope with unwanted physical or verbal abuse, males will be extremely vulnerable."

Blackpool police may appeal against the decision. A public entertainment license for the venue is to be discussed by councillors today.

Do you think male lap dancers are more vulnerable to 'abuse' than their female counterparts? Is Wicked a welcome alternative venue for the resort or a dangerous nuisance? Let us know what you think by writing to the area's leading letters page, Citizen letters, 13/13a Clifton Street, Blackpool, FY1 1YD