Lap dancers will not be disrobing at a pub in West Drayton, much to the delight of the area's MP.

The De Burgh Arms had asked for permission to hold lap dancing and striptease evenings in a separate building within their premises, a move hotly opposed by Uxbridge MP John Randall (Con). He said: I am very pleased with the result. I just do not think it is the right location for that sort of establishment. I'm delighted.

At a licensing meeting at Hillingdon Civic Centre last Tuesday, the committee ruled against permitting the new venture at the pub in Station Road.

The De Burgh Arms is next to the town's busy station, and many residents supposedly feared the lap dancing pub would be the first thing people coming to West Drayton would see.

Councillors said the possibility of the venue adding to anti-social behaviour and crime in the area was another reason to turn it down.

Nutters of an Oxford church have resurrected protests against an Oxford bar's plans to run lap-dancing sessions.

In January last year, Greene King applied for a licence to run lap dancing and pole dancing at Thirst Lodge, off St Ebbe's Street, but withdrew its application after staff at St Ebbe's Church complained.

But in December, the company renewed its application and the city council granted permission.

Now the church has appealed, and magistrates will be asked to reconsider the proposal.

On Saturday, church members gave out flyers outside the bar, in Pennyfarthing Place, and asked shoppers to sign a petition.

The Rev Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe's Church, said: We are concerned because we understand women can feel intimidated and experience harassment from men who are leaving lap-dancing clubs.

Nutters of the Oxford University Students Union have also had a whinge about Thirst Lodge. See also article from cherwell.org

A strip club has been given the go-ahead to open in Portsmouth's city centre. For Your Eyes Only will take over the former Mint Casino in Guildhall Walk.

Portsmouth City Council granted the adult entertainment venue a license despite objections from police.

Licensing officer PC Mike O'Malley claimed the club, which is set to open until 5am six days a week and until 4am on Sundays, would have a negative impact on the already notorious Guildhall area. He said another late-night venue would not help police prevent crime and disorder.

He told the council: The police are strongly opposed to this application and feel that it should not be granted.

But councillors said they could find no real reason to refuse it.

Cllr Les Stevens, chairman of the licensing committee, said: The sexual aspect is not a licensing concern - that is not a reason to turn down a licence. We had to make a decision based on the opening hours and that sort of thing. The casino used to be open until 6am, so this will close earlier than that. And it's not going to be the sort of place drunk people can just turn up - it costs £10 to even get it and drinks are going to be so expensive - I think a small bottle of beer is going to be about £4 right up to a bottle of champagne for £5,000, so groups of drunk lads aren't going to be able to afford to go in.

Cllr Stevens, Lib Dem, added: There is no evidence that this sort of place causes sexual crimes to go up at all. We have never had any complaints about the two that are already open.

You will have seen the advertisements in the back of some newspapers: New young models. Open 24 hours. Come and relax and have a professional massage.

If Vera Baird, the UK Solicitor General has her way such ads will soon be a thing of the past. Baird, along with Fiona Mactaggart, Harriet Harman and other feminists in Westminster, is looking to the Republic of Ireland for inspiration on how to legislate against third-party profiteering from the sex industry – namely by newspapers. Ireland's legislation, in place since 1994, reads:

A person who publishes or causes to be published or distributes or causes to be distributed an advertisement which advertises a brothel or the services of a prostitute in the State or any premises or service in the State in terms, circumstances or manner which gives rise to the reasonable inference that the premises is a brothel or that the service is one of prostitution shall be guilty of an offence.

The legislation includes those advertising prostitution services in other ways, for example displaying notices or posters, circulating leaflets or cards (such as those in telephone boxes) or on radio, television, computer, telephone, fax or photography.

At Baird's instigation the Crown Prosecution Service here in the UK has taken a close look at the legislation and decided that it could be useful in prosecuting those directly involved in profiting from this abusive industry and could also reduce the numbers of men paying for sex.

If police can confirm that an ad being published or distributed is for a brothel the publisher is sent a warning of possible arrest and prosecution if the ad runs again. The penalty is a fine of up to £10,000.

Prostitution is seen as a market opportunity for organised gangs trafficking women into Scotland, a police body warned MSPs yesterday. The claim was made at a Scottish Parliament committee investigating the economic impact of human trafficking and migration.

The Association of Chief Police Officers in Scotland (Acpos) said people-smuggling generates large amounts of money for gangs and opportunistic criminals, particularly in the Strathclyde force area.

In a submission to Holyrood's equal opportunities committee, Acpos said: The existence of an illicit sex industry in Strathclyde and the rest of Scotland is seen as a market opportunity, and there is evidence that criminal gangs, involved in large-scale organised prostitution rings, traffic women into the UK.

Prostitution and escort services generate vast amounts of profit for the criminals, not to mention the harm to the individuals, who are exploited and require intensive support to reclaim their lives.

Politicians have called for dedicated government funds to tackle the problem before the Commonwealth Games comes to Glasgow in 2014. It was claimed last year that well-paid construction workers might increase demand for prostitution in the city.

The Scottish Government has said it is funding the Scottish Crime and Drug Enforcement Agency to establish a new unit which will target human trafficking as well as other forms of organised crime.

Medway councillor Nick Brice is facing calls to resign after it emerged that he was cautioned for attempting to pick up a prostitute.

The Rochester South and Horsted ward representative was arrested looking for working girls on the streets of Rochester in November of last year. The councillor admitted the offence and received a conditional caution.

Medway Conservative Group immediately moved to expel Cllr Brice from the party, saying that all elected members should uphold the highest standards in public office and public life. Medway's Labour Group has also called for his resignation.

Party leader Paul Godwin said: When a person who holds public office breaks the law, they generally have the decency to resign. When they have been caught kerb crawling, any right minded person would do the decent thing. The local Tories were correct to throw Cllr Brice out, and I am amazed that he has not yet resigned. His position is completely untenable. If he doesn't attend any meetings for six months he automatically ceases to be a member, but if he does appear he will find himself in front of the standards committee.

Cllr Teresa Murray, of neighbouring Rochester East ward, added: I am sure everyone in Rochester, and in Medway as a whole, is disgusted by Nicholas Brice's actions.