UK Sex Shop News

Birmingham's only adult cinema has been granted its yearly license renewal. Adult World has been showing adult films for 30 years from its rather out of the way city centre location.

The licence for Adult World sex shop on Coventry Road, Hay Mills was also approved.

An Adultworld spokesman said the company floundered last year as a result of the recession and had gone into voluntary administration but had been rescued and is a going concern.

As usual once sex shops get up and running, there were no objections to the licenses.

Huntingdonshire Council's licensing group has now granted a sex shop licence for the proposed Pulse & Cocktails store at Sawtry.

No doubt the 1000+ locals who signed a petition against the sex shop will be miffed, but no doubt Pulse & Cocktails will follow in the steps of hundreds of other shops that cause nobody any problems whatsoever.

Presumably the store is aiming for an opening in March 2011.

Officials at Shropshire Council say the authority charges businesses much less in licensing fees compared to neighbouring authorities and are now proposing huge cost increases over the next three years.

Sex shop owners could see the cost of an annual licence rise from £1,350 to £2,025 – 50 per cent – with a renewal costing £1,755, an increase of 30 per cent.

Members of Shropshire Council's strategic licensing committee will be asked to agree the charges tomorrow

A report by David Edwards, head of public protection, said there was scope for the council to raise licensing fees to reach the average of its neighbours

Three adult stores have been raided in Manchester. Council Trading SubStandards officers and police seized around 800 DVDs and videos.

It is understood that The Triple XXX Factor, in Oldham Street, The Adult Film Factory, in Hilton Street, and The Adult Shop, in Hulme Hall Lane, Miles Platting, were the shops raided.

The raid is part of an investigation into businesses operating without sex shop licences.

Trading SubStandards will also investigate whether the material seized complies with the Video Recordings Act.

Machester sex shop licences cost around £5,000 and need to be renewed annually. The council confirmed there are currently four licensed sex shops in the city.

Patrice Adult Store

9 Diamond Street
Aberdeen
AB10 1QU

Patrice Adult Store in Diamond Street Aberdeen has now a full sex shop licence after Aberdeen City Council decided to grant the application under delegated powers, which means the application did not even require to come before the Licensing Committee.

Owner Patrick Wight said, It's great news for the north east, now there's more choice for people of all genders to explore their sexuality. All credit must go to the council, they have had their critics of late but they are a modern thinking local authority and this decision proves it.'

Previous premises at Hockley

the Adult gift Shop

14A Long Row
Nottingham
NG1 2DH

The Adult Gift Shop is a fully licenced sex shop that used to be based in the Hockley area of Nottingham, UK, but we've just moved closer into the city center at 14A Long Row.

We sell a wide selection of adult gifts, including sex toys, fun adult games, lingerie, boys toys, stag and hen night party gear, unusual fetish & bondage items and all sorts of fabulous adult goodies for pure indulgence.

Mon-Sat: 9am-6pm

Tel: 01159 470 182 (shop hours)
Tel: 08432 894 872 (24 hrs)

Email: customercare@theadultgiftshop.com

Let's put Christ back into Christmas

Mrs Palm
5 Little Castle Street
Truro
TR1 3DL

This my shop Mrs Palm in Truro on the busy shopping day of Saturday 27th November and along comes the catholic church to block my window and tell people untrue rumours that myself and my shop were involved in the recent child sex abuse case in Cornwall that is all over the news.

The Christian Institute will not give up their attempt to see me shut down, and now I have the Catholic Church harassing on a nearly daily basis.

The nun pictured came into the shop the day before to tell me I was disgusting and so was the shop.

The week before I had a cross drawn on the window and photos taken of my window display of which I was told by the church member taking the shots that my window dummies were prostitutes. The photos they took were then on the Cornwall council's desk that same morning, with a complaint.

I put a sign in my window saying Mrs Palm licensed sex shop opening soon and was told to take it out as it offended the church, and then told by the licensing committee that I would not be allowed to display my website address on my shop fascia because of the church!

I had one hundred letters of objections, all of which were unfounded moralising and completely bigoted.

I have been told by letter that I am obviously a ex porn star druggie that has been abused by black men....

So not a day goes by without a little drama..

Out of every negative there comes a positive though, and since I seem to hit the local paper every week its created a lot of support form strangers, it's bringing in the customers through all the furore, curiosity and it's getting me lots of free publicity.

All good for business.

Hallelujah.

Mrs Palm
5 Little Castle Street
Truro
TR1 3DL

A christian nutter group is challenging the licensing of Truro's first licensed sex shop which opened its doors for the first time last weekend.

Campaigners won a case to secure a judicial review of Cornwall Council's decision to grant the licence.

And the council has said it will not defend the legal challenge, which could see Mrs Palm Ltd shut if the case goes ahead.

City councillor Armorel Carlyon and the Christian Institute launched action in the High Court, claiming procedures were not followed correctly at the original hearing when the licence was granted in August.

The issue is believed to centre on two key elements of the hearing. The first was the decision to disregard many of the letters of objection on the grounds that they focused on the morality of the shop.

The second was that the committee did not take into sufficient account the location of the sex shop, which is next door to school outfitters Trevails in Little Castle Street.

A council spokesman said: The council, having considered the matter carefully, has decided not to contest the judicial review. How the interested party, Mrs Palm Limited, decides to proceed in these circumstances is a matter for them.

Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute who led its campaign against the shop's licence, said: The decision by the council not to contest the case reflects the strength of our case.

The move by Cornwall Council not to defend the licensing committee's decision surprised Mrs Palm's directors. Owner Braxton Reynolds said: As a licensee I would have expected Cornwall Council to have defended the position of their licensee.

The case will now go before a judge who will decide if there are enough grounds to grant the review. If given approval then a judicial review will probably be heard late next year.

In the meantime, however, a licensing committee hearing has allowed the premises to extend its hours for late night Christmas shopping. It will now be allowed to open until 9.30pm every Wednesday – three hours later than normal under the terms of the original licence. Councillors also agreed it could include the street number and drop the word Ltd from its sign but drew the line at replacing it with a website address.

A shop assistant has been found guilty of illegally supplying pornographic videos following a raid by gardai in which more than 1,700 uncertified DVDs were seized.

Ciara McFerran was found guilty of 30 counts of unlawful possession and supply of the DVDs. It is illegal to supply any video recording that has not been certified by the Irish Film Censor's Office. And of course the censors won't certificate hardcore anyway.

Dublin District Court heard the shop assistant was prosecuted because she was in charge of the store at the time of the raid, while her employers were out of the country.

Judge Catherine Murphy said she would only consider leaving the accused without convictions if the shop's owners made a €20,000 charity donation.

McFerran pleaded not guilty to 30 charges related to the possession and supply of each uncertified pornographic DVD title. The charges were under the Video Recordings Act. She claimed she knew nothing about the regulations and believed that everything for sale in the shop, Miss Fantasia on South William Street, was above board.

The court heard 10 sample titles were selected from the seized DVDs and sent to the Irish Film Censorship Office (IFCO) to establish that they were never certified for supply in this country.

Ger Connolly, Acting Director of Film Censorship with the IFCO, told the court there had never been supply certificates in force for any of the works. He watched each DVD to establish the title and content and they were handed in to court to give the judge a flavour of the content.

London's Hackney business owners have criticised new proposals to restrict licences to sex shops and clubs.

As reported in the Citizen last month, Hackney Council is currently carrying out a consultation its new draft document on sex establishments, which introduces a nil policy such that new licences will not normally be granted and existing ones will be less likely to be renewed.

Some businesses are claiming that it will result in the closure of legitimate businesses during a recession and that it may force those employed in such businesses into unlicenced sex trade activity. Hackney currently has one licenced sex shop and four premises that are licenced to provide live performances or displays of nudity solely or mainly to sexually stimulate audience members. All but one of these are located in Shoreditch, which has many clubs and bars with late licences and a limited number of residential buildings.

Expectations, on Great Eastern Street, is Hackney's only licenced sex shop. It is open during normal business hours and does not have an explicit fascia. Yet, under the new policy, this business is under threat. Chris Graham-Bell, a director of the Millivres Prowler Group which owns Expectations, said: We are contesting the policy. It is stupid to lump sex shops and clubs together as we are completely different.

We have been going 30 years and until five years ago there was no question of us having a licence at all – we didn't need one. We chose to get a licence so we could stock R18 DVDs, we were not forced to get one. We have no objection to having a licence, or the council restricting the number of licences it gives out. If necessary, we will withdraw the sale of the DVDs.

Pauline Bristow, partner and licensee of the White Horse on Shoreditch High Street, has also voiced objections to the proposed policy. You cannot turn around and say we cause more problems than discos that open until 4am, she said. We are open from 12 noon until 12 midnight, we have a 1am license but we only use it in December.

A licensee for 25 years, Pauline has lived in Hackney for 32 years and has seen the borough change. The problem is, the council are thinking 'we are an up and coming area, we have all this stuff like the Olympics coming up, we don't want these sorts of places'.

If we have to close, 75 people will be out of work including bar staff, the girls and security. In Hackney overall we reckon it will be 300. It is not going to help the unemployment figures in Hackney, which the council considers a deprived borough. They will also lose money from the licences, about £5000 per venue. It's not going to help anything at all. Our livelihoods will be threatened.

There are fears that closing licenced establishments will not only lead to more unemployment, but may force the workers into more dangerous, unlicenced venues, some of which operate as brothels. This is a prospect Pauline is well aware of. If we close, there are a lot of unlicenced venues where the girls will be encouraged to do much more than dance, she said.

Have your say on licensing sex establishments in Hackney. The consultation runs until 13 December.

Rrepressive new rules on sex shops and lapdancing clubs will force the operators to fork out more than £16,000 per year if they want to continue trading in the borough.

Changes to licensing rules agreed last week also give Hammersmith and Fulham Council greater power to close down venues which it feels are operating in inappropriate sites.

Sex establishments near residential areas, schools, nurseries, youth clubs, places of worship, leisure centres and community buildings could be refused a licence when new rules are adopted in April.

There are currently two venues in the borough which are classed as sex establishments – lapdancing club Secrets in Glenthorne Road, Hammersmith, and sex shop Simply Pleasure in Hammersmith Road, Olympia. Both will be allowed to continue running for one year, but must apply for a new licence within six months and will have to pay an annual fee of £16,688.

A council report said local residents will now have more opportunity to raise objections to sex establishments annually when the operators are forced to renew their licence.

Greg Smith, the council's resident services leader, said: [48] Residents have told us they do not want sex establishments opening in inappropriate places, such as in residential areas or near schools.

A public consultation was held between June and August, in which just 59 people took part. Of those, 48 felt it would be inappropriate to issue a licence near residential areas, schools or other places regularly used by children, and 39 said they should not be issued near a place of worship.

The presence of sex venues in the borough drew a mixed response from residents writing to the council. One woman of Carthew Road, Hammersmith, said: Since Secrets opened I have noticed fewer incidents of fights and scuffles in the street, vomit and blood on the pavement and noise in the later hours. The pubs which were on the site previously were rough pubs, with no doormen and much more hassling of women who pass by.

But another resident said: The licensing fee should be significantly higher than proposed, at least 40% of gross annual profits, adding: If ordinary people don't stand up for keeping their borough free from such business, then the atmosphere of our neighbourhoods will be determined not by decent families and businesses but by an ever-growing sleaze factor.

Tim Hemming, director of the Simply Pleasure chain, called the fee in Hammersmith and Fulham unacceptable and outrageous, with only the West End branch of the sex shop being charged more by its local council, Westminster. He said: What these councils are doing is exploiting us. They issue a renewable licence, visit our premises possibly once a year, have a look at it and charge us £16,000.

Margaret McCracken was caught selling mephedrone in a trading standards sting at Body Style adult theme shop which she runs with her partner Frank Nicholson in Ayr.

Until recently the drug mephedrone was sold as a legal high.

McCracken admitted that on November 13 last year she sold Moonshine bath salts containing mephedrone with a wicked disregard for the consequences. She also admitted she encouraged urging epople to take the drug, also known as M-cat, knowing it might cause injury, mental health problems and death.

Nicholson admitted offering Moonshine for sale.

Sheriff Alan Miller fined McCracken £700 and Nicholson £550.

A halloween radio advert for the lingerie retailer Ann Summers has been banned for being likely to offend listeners according to the Radio Advertising Clearance Centre (RACC)

The broadcaster's adviser said that it contained fairly overt sexual references in terms of sound effects.

The commercial begins with the sound of screams, which are replaced by screams of pleasure. A voice can then be heard to say: Tight, short, low-cut. Ann Summers dead sexy Hallowe'en outfits with £5 off. In stores, online and at parties.

A spokesman for the RACC said the ad breached advertising regulations governing taste and offence.

Ann Summers has appealed appealed the decision. We believe that Britons are broad-minded and would understand the topical and cheeky nature of our advert, said a spokesman for the company.

A young female entrepreneur is sure to set Bristol pulses racing this week with the opening of her new erotic boutique on Saturday October 16th.

The Pomegranate Boutique is the first shop of its kind in Park Street, and Clifton, and Amy Whitaker is planning to re-write the rule book between women and their sexuality. She says Pomegranate Boutique will bring sexual style and class with a naughty twist to the population of Bristol and will be stocking a range of adult toys, lingerie, books, games and bedroom accessories.

Amy said: Our aim is to help women reignite their sexuality and re-establish their confidence. My idea was to turn the whole concept of a seedy sex shop on its head and create a relaxed welcoming environment where customers can really take time to choose and look.

The boudoir-style store is designed in a simple tasteful style with a range of toys unwrapped and on display. The lingerie is carefully chosen from UK brands that celebrate women being women and cater for all shapes and sizes. Both the toys and lingerie have been personally selected by Amy, who will be on hand to answer questions and offer advice on the items in the store.

She has tried to reduce air miles on the items stocked, partner with local businesses and generally try to be as green-friendly as possible. Pomegranate also donates a percentage of profits to Age UK and to Refuge.

As well as running the shop, Amy also manages pomegranateboutique.co.uk, the online trading store.

The new owners of GWENAP in Hull, said to be the oldest sex shop in Britain, are planning to have the shop fully re-opened by October 2010.

GWENAP shop, based on the junction of Princes Avenue and Springbank Kingston up Hull is in many ways part of our heritage and has been serving its customers since 1902. The shops exterior has changed little over its 100 year history although in 1947 you would have seen its then owner busy in the shop window with her sewing machine.

Times have changed and the business is now in the hands of Cheryl Watson and her business partners. Cheryl wants to keep its heritage and is planning a thoughtful renovation of the interior of the shop and a new website. The business has had a slight change of direction both in terms of its image and the naughty but nice adult toys it has for sale.

Here is to the next 100 years of GWENAP.

The first Libertinesque boutique opened on 11th September 2010 just where Portobello Road meets Westbourne Park Road in Kensington.

They are showing collections of Patrice Catanzaro and Clémentine alongside some fabulous hand made shoes, body jewellery and an exhibition of erotic/fetish photography by the world famous Gérard Musy from Paris and various other little temptations.

Nice 'n' Naughty, the chain of 15 sexy boutiques based mainly around the north west of the country is now stocking the collections from Patrice Catanzaro in some of their outlets. The shops in Chester and Leeds will be carrying the Second Face range of guys clothes, quickly followed by the girl's collections in the next few weeks.

Oxford Union members will no longer be able to enjoy discounts from the Adult World sex shop on Cowley Road.

The decision comes after several national papers reported that there was disagreement within the Union over one of the Treasurer's Treats discounts offered to Union members.

It was claimed that some members of the Union found the Treat offensive and that it undermined the women's initiative.

Up until this term, students had been able to take advantage of the discount their Union membership gave them in Adult World in Cowley. The decision means that the discount has not been renewed for students this year.

However, when contacted, Adult World's store manager claimed that, They [the Union] hadn't actually informed us of that.

No conscious decision was made to discontinue the discount; however, the Union's committees chose to pursue other priorities instead, said Walker.

Roisin O'Hare, store manager of Adult World, was surprised to hear that they were no longer included as part of Treasurer's Treats. She went on to explain that she thought that many students' sex lives benefited from the shop.

A sex shop owner has been fined £3,000 for trading without the proper licence. He was ordered to pay the full council costs of £3,878 and the mandatory £15 victim surcharge.

Wayne MacGowan ran a shop called 18+ on Bournemouth's Holdenhurst Road. He pleaded guilty to three counts of trading without a licence at Bournemouth Magistrates Court.

Police and council officers searched the shop in November 2009 and found 727 hardcore pornographic DVDs. The DVDs were a mix of R18-rated films, which can only be sold in sex shops, and unclassified films.

They also found sex toys and a substantial number of magazines – the total retail value was £21,789.

MacGowan closed the shop at the weekend and it would not open again.

His defence said he did not know at the time he needed a licence and there were other unlicensed shops in the area.

Tom Horder, defending, said: It seems that a picture was created that there was a degree of toleration. He also said that what made a sex shop was unclear, adding: When you look at Ann Summers, the line becomes less clear. As far as the defence knows none of them are licensed. They sell sex toys, lingerie and pornographic films.

Maria O'Sullivan has been fined over £35,000 for running an illegal sex shop in Kings Cross. She was prosecuted by Islington council for owning and operating the unlicensed business on York Way.

Pirate Bookshop is owned by Ballaction London Ltd, where O'Sullivan is the sole director. She was ordered by Highbury Magistrates to pay fines and costs totalling £35,360.

Caledonian Ward Councillor Paul Convery said: I am very pleased that the Council's case has been successful. For nearly 5 years, we have repeatedly called for legal action against unlicensed sex shops in Kings Cross. The first step in ridding the area of it's vice reputation is to get rid of every vice-related business, particularly the ones that refuse to be licensed by the local authority. Our policy is simple – zero tolerance against all types of sleazy and illegal sex related activities.

The company was fined £17,500 plus £2,830 costs and £15 victim support surcharge and Maria O'Sullivan was personally fined £15,000 plus £15 victim support surcharge.

Maria O'Sullivan's son is the world class snooker player, Ronnie O'Sullivan.

Oxford Union members are being offered discounts at a local sex shop in the heart of the university town as a treat for joining the prestigious organisation.

The debating society's members can receive sex goods up to 10% cheaper simply if they flash their membership card at Adult World on Cowley Road.

But some members have predictably raised concerns about the initiative, claiming it was offensive and undermined its women's initiative.

It's incongruous with the image of the Union, its prestigious history and the list of great and good who have spoken there, one source said: It is a sign of the times. Even a few years ago this wouldn't have happened, or, if it had, it would have kicked up a storm of debate.

Earlier this year, the Union's former executive team debated the initiative's introduction after it was claimed some reasonable members had become offended by it.

According to minutes of the January meeting, Eleanor Lischka, from Lincoln College, objected to the scheme despite not actually being offended by it. She urged it be scrapped because it undermines the women's initiative and gives the Union a negative image.

But Stuart Cullen, the former president from Christ Church College, argued at the meeting that he didn't see why it's offensive as it did not encourage members to use the sex shop.

Alistair Walker, a Union spokesman, defended the scheme. He said it was a long-standing member's discount deal with the sex shop. He said there were plans to expand the scheme: This is just one of the 63 current discounts the Union's current and former committee members have negotiated to ensure best value for its members, he said.

A few nutters want to shut a sex shop in their street.

Darker Enterprises has run the Private Shop, in Edleston Road, Crewe, for eight years.

Now residents are calling for Cheshire East Council to refuse the annual licence renewal.

Allison Jackson, licensing enforcement officer, said: An objection has been received citing the poor condition of the property. It says the property is dilapidated, a health and fire risk and not nice for families in the street.

Sue of Lacies lingerie shop announced:

It is with deep sadness that I anounce Lacies shop in Hove, East Sussex is to close on October 1st 2010. I have decided not to renew the lease on our shop in Portland Road. We have had 8 fabulous years trading out of the fabulous city of Brighton & Hove and we hope many will continue to buy from us either virtually via our websites fantasyigrl.co.uk or breastforms4u.com or visit us at our store in Folkestone, Kent.

Our legacy, well we have done lots to promote transgender in this town and to be fair this town has supported us to the hilt. In the process we have raised thousands of pounds for the Marletts Hospice through our successful Miss TG Brighton beauty evenings which lasted 4 years.

We are having a RELOCATION SALE which started 1st August so now's the time to bag a bargain at Lacies before it closes it doors for the last time.

A north-east entertainer has revealed plans to open a sex shop in Aberdeen.

Patrick Wight, who goes by the stage name Patrice, has applied for a licence to run the adult store in Diamond Street in the city centre.

The comedian said he intended to sell similar products to those of the high-street chain, Ann Summers, until Aberdeen City Council's licensing committee decides on his application for a sex shop licence in November. If the sex shop licence is granted the business will be open from 10.30am to 9pm seven days a week.

The former hair salon and sandwich shop at 9 Diamond Street already has a sign outside for Patrice Adult Store.

One Diamond Street resident said it would be horrendous if the shop opened so close to people's homes. I would be worried about what it will do for the value of the properties around here, never mind the type of people that will be frequenting the area when it opens.

Nottingham Council have granted a sex establishment licence to a new sex shop due to open in Long Row, despite Councillor Ian MacLennan's official objection.

The Adult Gift Shop, which used to be in Goose Gate in Hockley, is due to open in Long Row in about four weeks.

Marilyn Hawkes, general manager of the shop, said: We are ecstatic. The restrictions are the same as they are now. Although they are a bit restricting concerning advertising, they're fairly standard.

The licence was granted on the condition that advertising on the shop front is restricted. All signs must be flat against the shop, with no signs protruding in to the street. The shop's opening hours are restricted from 9am to 6.30pm Monday to Saturday.

Coun MacLennan, who objected to the licence application because he thought the location was inappropriate, said: I'm a bit disappointed with the result, but the conditions go somewhere to alleviating my fears.

A second sex shop has also been granted a renewal of its licence despite objections from city council leader Jon Collins. The Private Shop has been open in Upper Parliament Street for six years. But Collins says he fears that it is affecting the regeneration of the area.

Despite his letter of objection, the council's licensing committee voted to renew the licence. The committee also decided to disregard a second letter of objection, supporting Coun Collins' views, because it was issued too late. The letter was written by Peter May, of NEMS Healthcare, which opened a health centre next door to the Private Shop in January. He argued that nearly 30% of visitors to the health centre are 19 or younger.

In his letter, Coun Collins claimed the sex shop would create a poor impression for visitors. He wrote: I strongly object to the renewal of a licence for the Private Shop, given its location on a main route into Nottingham. He said a sex shop might deter businesses from setting up in the area.

But Clive Sullivan, of Darker Enterprises, which owns the shop said that local traders were generally in favour of sex shops operating close to them: A large number of our licensed sex shops across England and Wales are located in the city centre. Local traders tend to like them because they draw people into the area, and they do spend money in other shops while they're there.

1,130 Sawtry villagers have signed a petition opposing plans for a sex shop. Campaigners handed the petition to Huntingdonshire District Council.

The company Cocktails has submitted a proposal to open the shop in a former Little Chef restaurant beside the A1 at Sawtry, near Huntingdon.

If the shop – to be called Pulse and Cocktails – wins its licence it will become the first sex shop in Huntingdonshire.

The petition says the application is entirely unsuitable in a family-focused village on a site which is on a popular leisure route. Keith Walters, former leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, who chairs the No Sawtry Sex Shop pressure group, added: The most important grounds to object on are that it is at variance with the character of the locality. We don't object to sex shops per se...BUT...think this is the wrong place to put one.

A sex shop owner has admitted selling bath salts containing the recently banned drug mephedrone.

Margaret McCracken, who part owns the Body Style adult theme shop in the Ayr's Burns Statue Square, faced a total of five mephedrone-related charges at Ayr Sheriff Court.

The Crown accepted her not guilty pleas to four of the charges. But she admitted that on November 13 last year with a wicked disregard for the consequences she sold Moonshine bath salts containing mephedrone, encouraging ingestion and exposing the public to the possibility of injury, mental health problems and death.

The other owner, Fran Nicholson, still faces all five charges and the case against him was continued until September 30. The charges include selling Moonshine bath salts or plant food, containing mephedrone, to an undercover female trading standards officer on November 13 and encouraging her to ingest it.

Sentence has been deferred on McCracken until September 30.

Ayr MP Sandra Osborne said: It is pleasing that the police here are treating this with the seriousness it deserves.

The former Labour Government made mephedrone illegal in April this year.

A sex shop has been given the go-ahead to open in Truro.

Mrs Palm Ltd has been granted a license to open the shop in Little Castle Street, next door to Trevails, a school uniform shop that led the nutter campaign against the sex shop application.

Cornwall Council's miscellaneous licenses committee granted permission at a meeting last Friday.

Nutter 'anger' over an application to open a sex shop in Truro has sparked a letter-writing campaign to Cornwall Council's licensing committee.

90+ complaints have been made opposing a move by Mrs Palm Ltd from setting up next to a school uniform store in Little Castle Street.

Much of the campaign has been led by Vicky Trevail, manager of Trevail's uniform shop, who recently collected a 700-name petition.

Many of the letters come from schools and church groups, arguing that such a store is 'inappropriate' in the planned location because of its proximity to a shop used by children and its position on a bus route.

Among them was one from The Christian Institute which said that it was out of character with the area as a locality characterised by tourist attractions, restaurants and cafés, shops and other businesses. It added: It is, therefore, not the sort of place which is suitable for a sex shop.

Many of the letters will have to be discarded because they focus on the moral aspect of having such a store.

Edward Braxton Reynolds speaks in favour of the application. He wrote: Garments and other suitable products sympathetically and appropriately displayed in a shop window can be informative without any risk of causing offence. He added anyone under-age who persistently attempted to enter would either be prosecuted or face an injunction.

Complaining about the proposed sex shop one correspondent wrote: I wish to object moist (sic) strongly. It was just one of a number of unintentional errors, musings and in some cases just funny missives sent to licensing officer Julie Flower, who is dealing with the case.

Some were more graphic in their depiction of the likely clientele: I would reiterate that some people will find it awkward, perhaps even disturbing, to bump into sexually aroused men going to and from a sex establishment.

Cocktails Ltd has applied for a sex establishment licence to open a new sex shop at the former Little Chef, off the A1(M) Great North Road, in Sawtry, near Peterborough.

The company submitted the application to Huntingdonshire District Council on July 27.

The former restaurant has been closed for a number of years, leaving the site derelict.

District councillor for the village Dick Tuplin said he would like the site to once again become a motorway service area. He said: The service station has disappeared altogether. The slip road goes right through where that used to be. It's an eyesore, so I would like to see the site developed. No-one would want to open a hotel near a sex shop.

Huntingdonshire District Council is inviting public views on Cocktails Ltd's plans.

Update: The Wrong Kind of People

15th August 2010. Based on article from cambridge-news.co.uk

Opponents of the redevelopment of a former Little Chef restaurant beside the A1 at Sawtry claim that a village location is the wrong place for a sex shop and the kind of people it may attract.

If the bid by Rotherham-based Cocktails, which has a chain of 23 Pulse and Cocktails sex shops, gets the go-ahead, it would become the first licensed sex shop in Huntingdonshire.

Keith Walters, former leader of Cambridgeshire County Council, who lives in Sawtry, said: I don't want this nice rural village turned into a Las Vegas strip. It is not the Golden Mile at Blackpool or Soho. I can't speak for all 6,000 people here, but I haven't found anyone who wants it.

He said residents were already writing objections to the plan and that he had written to Eric Pickles, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, about it and would take the case up with MPs.

Walters said: I think the whole tone of it is wrong and local people will not want to say you go up the A1 and turn left at the sex shop to get to my house.

Parish councillor Joyce Day, who chairs the planning committee, said: I don't think a village is the right place for this sort of thing. It could bring undesirables into the village, although I can't say it would. Cllr Day said there were limited objections to a licence application.

North-West Cambridgeshire MP Shailesh Vara said: I am against the proposed sex shop and have made my views clear to Cllr Ian Bates, the leader of Huntingdonshire District Council and Cllr Doug Dew, cabinet member in charge of planning. It is not the right place for that kind of shop and I hope the council will listen to the many local protests which are being made.

The period for residents to comment on the plan has been extended to September 8, after the council was unhappy with the way the application notice at the site was displayed.

Based on article from peterboroughtoday.co.uk

More than 40 members of the public turned up to a special meeting at Huntingdoneshire District Council to find out more about the licence application.

Afterwards Councillor Dick Tuplin said it was now planned to hold a public meeting, likely to be August 25, although time and location have yet to be agreed, to allow as many villagers as possible the chance to have their say.

Director of Pulse & Cocktails Clair Boothby said target customers were couples and the stores were designed with a female friendly atmosphere. She said: We require a licence at all of our stores to enable us to stock and sell a good range and variety of marital aids and lingerie to our customers. The premises in Cambridgeshire are located adjacent to the A1(M) motorway and not actually in the village of Sawtry itself.

The premises have been derelict for a number of years and our intentions are to invest in the refurbishment of the premises to improve its general appearance and transform it into a modern, retail outlet.

Update: Meeting the Wrong Kind of People

29th August 2010. Based on article from huntspost.co.uk

Around 200 people attended a meeting opposing a sex shop being opened in Sawtry.

A three-part motion of action was unanimously voted through demanding:

• Huntingdonshire District Council's licensing panel refuse the application because it would be inappropriate for the character of the localit
• That Sawtry Parish Council meet to establish its views on the application and send those to the district council before the September 8 deadline for comments
• Huntingdonshire District Council establishes a policy on sex establishments in the district before hearing the application

The meeting was chaired by ward councillor Darren Tysoe who read out his objection letter to the licensing panel, which stated: This is a sex shop on the entrance to the village. It will cast a shadow over Sawtry as a great place to live.

Keth Walters made the opening address, saying he lived in a village: Which is not deemed big enough to support a bank or a building society, nor a butcher or a baker or a candlestick-maker for that matter, but apparently can support a sex shop.

He said Rotherham-based Cocktails Ltd, which operates 23 sex shops, was looking for £200,000 a year turnover – and that's not possible from a village this size. He said the operators were far from being an Ann Summers shop as the company website stated it sold films which were too explicit to sell on the internet and could only be sold in a shop like this. The only two reasons HDC could give for refusal which would mean the decision could not be appealed against, he said, were: Having a sex shop was against that council's policy or it was inappropriate in regard of the character of the locality.

Resident Pauline Potter reported on her visit to a Cocktails Ltd establishment on the A1 near Grantham, saying it catered for extreme sexual tastes and was screening pornographic movies.

Graham Smith said the opening of a sex shop would affect house prices and the desirability of the village.

Sh! Portobello
Women's Erotic Emporium

Unit 4, 253 Portobello Road
Notting Hill
London
W11 1LR

(Corner Lancaster Rd & Portobello)
Tube: Ladbroke Grove (0.3 km)

Open Everyday: 11-7pm

Email: Sh! Store
Tel: 020 7221 5476

www.sh-womenstore.com

Hundreds of X-rated magazines and DVDs have been seized from Tyneside corner shops.

Trading SubStandards officers raided premises in Heaton and Byker, in Newcastle's East End, as well as ones in Fenham, Benwell and Denton, in the West End.

The goods recovered included adult magazines, which had been wrapped together with DVDs, all believed to contain hardcore movies. Other hardcore films were also seized.

It is believed the consignment hardcore porn had been shipped-in from overseas and that shopkeepers are being targeted by people posing as legitimate suppliers.

Nearly 200 items were taken from outlets in Heaton, Byker, Fenham, Denton and Benwell. It is believed the mags and DVDs have been shipped into Tyneside from Quebec, in Canada. But the DVDs that were being peddled together with pornographic magazines had not been classified. Some of the magazines recovered appeared to be recognised titles such as Penthouse.

Under current licensing laws, any movie that has been given a hardcore R18 rating can only be sold at a registered sex shop. There are only two such outlets in Newcastle and none of the stores visited as part of this investigation has been licensed.

A sex shop application has sparked nutter 'outrage' from residents and retailers in a Cornish city.

The company Mrs Palm Limited wants to open the store in Little Castle Street, Truro. Mrs Palm said it would be a lawful business, properly licensed by Cornwall Council in according with its trading rules.

Company spokesman Braxton Reynolds said Little Castle Street had been chosen because it was a specialist shopping area and as such was appropriate.

Concerns have been strongly expressed about what might be seen by passers-by in the window, company spokesman Braxton Reynolds said: But the standard rules apply to all such establishments is that nothing that will cause offence can be displayed in the window.

The manageress of the school outfitter Trevails said she was really 'shocked' at the distasteful sex shop application. We don't want something like that next door, Vicky Trevail said: We've got young children probably from the age of three up to 16 or 17, so no, no, it's definitely no from the Trevail family and no from me. We're a cathedral city, we live in a nice street here and we're all friendly and neighbourly. I mean live and let live ...BUT... put it somewhere else.

Jackie Hill, who runs the Limelite Costume Shop on the other side of where the sex shop would be, said she intends to start a petition against the application: You don't need it shoved in your face. You can get everything you want online if you really want it and it's the clients that are going to be using the shop that really worry me.

Nice 'n' Naughty has been recognised once again as the Best Retail Chain for adult products in the U.K.

The award was presented at this year's ETO Show at the NEC in Birmingham and is the highest accolade in the UK for companies operating in the adult industry. Nice 'n' Naughty has now won this coveted award for an amazing fifth time in six years.

As the current holder of the E-line European Retailer of the Year award presented in Berlin last October, Nice 'n' Naughty has also repeated its previously unique feat of being champions of the U.K. and Europe at the same time. No other retailer has achieved this degree of success and Nice 'n' Naughty has now accomplished it twice.

The award was collected by Nice 'n' Naughty director, Trish Murray, who commented, It's a great honour for us to receive the Best Retail Chain Award from ETO because the winner is decided by the toughest judges of all -our peers and colleagues in the industry. I'd like to thank all who have supported us once again and I also want to pay tribute to the people who won us this award - the team at Nice 'n' Naughty. This is due recognition of their professionalism and hard work, so a big thank you goes to them as well. The challenge for us now is to keep on improving so we stay in contention next year!

Nice n Naughty operate 15 stores in the U.K. in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Bolton, Brighton, Bristol, Chester, Leeds, Liverpool (2), Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Southport, Warrington, Wednesbury, Wigan.

The Wicked Pictures' spectacular film presentation, Fallen, has won the Best R18 DVD Award at this year's ETO Show held at the NEC in Birmingham.

Starring Jessica Drake and Brad Armstrong, Fallen is a four disc extravaganza, superbly packaged and rich in extras. An erotic masterpiece comes to life as the movie tells the tale of a fallen Angel (Jessica Drake) who has been banished to Earth and stripped of her wings after the accidental death of the young woman she was sent to watch over.

Alone and desperate for companionship, she finds it in the city's seedy underworld, far from the idyllic heavens she once knew. On her dark journey through sinful and perverse places, she discovers a glimmer of light in Keith (Brad Armstrong), a handsome mortal.

The question is.... can Angel regain her wings or has she fallen for the last time, doomed to live out her days trapped in the purgatory she now calls home? Fallen is distributed exclusively in the U.K. by Nice 'n' Naughty Wholesale and you can find out the answer to Angel's predicament at any of Nice 'n' Naughty's stores in Aberystwyth, Bangor, Bolton, Brighton, Bristol, Chester, Leeds, Liverpool (2), Manchester, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Southport, Warrington, Wednesbury, Wigan.

Nice 'n' Naughty director, Simon Prescott, commented, Fallen is an unforgettable film with mind-blowing sex scenes and a screenplay that delivers 'till the very last frame so I can understand why it's won this prestigious award. I'd very much like to express my gratitude to everyone who voted for it.

A sex shop owner says he won't give up after his application to show lingerie in the shop window was rejected.

B.C. Books in Bennetts Castle Lane, Dagenham are still not allowed to display lingerie in their window, it was announced at a council meeting.

Bradley Rose's application for change was denied on the ground that his shop was in a busy area where children were passing.

He said: I'm really disappointed. I don't think I was asking for anything unreasonable. One reason for wanting to show a display was to make the shop more approachable for couples, the chairman responded saying 'why don't you put some flowers outside then?' Well the answer to that is because I don't sell flowers. I pay £21,000 a year for a license but I'm not even allowed to show what I sell.

Earlier this year Rose wrote to the licensing and environmental office requesting that they let him display lingerie in his shop windows. He said: I'm simply asking to be given the same consideration as any High Street retailer that stocks and sells lingerie.

In 2008 the council adopted the Sex Establishment Regulations, which stated that sex establishments can not advertise products on the external part of the premises.

Here's the (unofficial?) list of award winners for 2010.

Congratulations to all.

Best stand in the Show - Fever
Best R18 DVD - Fallen - Wicked Pictures
Best gay R18 DVD - Young British Hoodies 2 - Rentboy UK
Best Adult Product - We-Vibe II
Best Consumable - ID. Glide
Best Film Brand - TVX
Best Gay Film Brand - Eurocreme
Best Sex Toy Brand - Fetish Fantasy
Best Erotic Book Brand - Excite Books
Best Erotic Clothing Brand - Cottelli
Best R18 DVD Distributor - Erigo
Best Erotic Goods Distributor - Net 1 on 1
Best Overseas Distributor - Scala
Best Lingerie Distributor - Blue Moon
Best Retail Chain - Nice N Naughty
Best Individual Store - Soho Original (Brewer St)
Best Online Retailer - Love Honey
Best Online Resource - Melonfarmers.co.uk
Best online Affilate Programme - Net 1 on 1
Innovation in Adult - Sex in the Shower
Best Sales Team - ABS
Services to the Industry - Jane Bowles

A mean new sex establishment policy for Bournemouth seeks to restrict the numbers and locations of sex shops and lap dancing clubs.

The draft policy states that an area of Holdenhurst Road, from the junction with Northcote Road to the Richmond Park Road junction, should contain no more than two sex shops. The Triangle is considered an appropriate location for just one shop and that should be a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lifestyle shop.

And the town centre is deemed appropriate for a maximum of three sexual entertainment venues.

The draft document has been considered and amended by the council's licensing board and will need final approval from the chair and vice chair of licensing.

It will then go out to public consultation, when residents will be invited to make comments.

Interfact, associated with the UK Private Shop chain, asked the High Court for leave to make a late appeal for a conviction under the VRA.

The case was Interfact Ltd v Liverpool City Council where R18s were sold by mail order from licensed premises.

The High Court held that where defendants had been convicted of criminal offences under national legislation which was unenforceable owing to a failure by the UK to comply with a pre-enactment procedural requirement imposed by EU law, it was not incumbent upon the Court of Appeal to re-open their cases out of time unless their convictions had given rise to any substantial injustice.

The applicants sought to quash their convictions, arguing that the court was required to exercise its discretion to reopen the decision of the Divisional Court and to grant leave to appeal to the Court of Appeal out of time because the earlier decisions were contrary to EU law. They argued that failure to grant the relief sought would infringe the principle of effectiveness in EU law. They contended that because of the government's failure to notify the regulations under which they were convicted to the Commission, their convictions and punishment infringed the prohibition on retrospective punishment under Article 7 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

The Court dismissed the applications.

...Read the full article

Currently adverts for porn products are banned from TV, including cable and satellite.

From 1st September 2010, the rules will loosen up a bit.

On radio, softcore products may be advertised between 10pm and 5:30am but the adverts have to be centrally cleared

On TV, adverts for softcore/hardcore products are allowed only on encrypted adult channels. The adverts themselves must never feature hardcore but may be softcore between 10pm and 5:30am.

The published CAP rules seem to be a bit mis-numbered and mangled though:

Rules

30.1 Radio Central Copy Clearance – Advertisements for products coming within the recognised character of pornography may be broadcast only if they are centrally cleared.

30.2 Radio advertisements for R18-rated material are not permitted.

30.3 Television only – Advertisements for products coming within the recognised character of pornography are permitted behind mandatory restricted access on adult entertainment channels only.

30.3.1 Television only – Advertisements must not feature R18-rated material or its equivalent. That does not preclude advertisements for R18-rated material or its equivalent behind mandatory restricted access on adult entertainment channels.

30.3.2 Television only – Advertisements permitted under rules 30.2 and 30.2.1 must not feature material that comes within the recognised character of pornography before 10.00pm or after 5.30am.

30.3.3 Radio advertisements for R18-rated material are not permitted.

A sex shop in Bristol has been given the green light to sell hardcore films .

Businessman Mark Mullens argued he needed to sell the films and material aimed at the gay community to save his West Street shop Rudies from closure.

Bristol City Council's public safety and protection committee gave the application the thumbs up after more than 20 letters and emails supporting the application had been sent in by traders and residents in Old Market. Only two objections were received.

Representing Mullens, Jeremy Woodcraft told councillors the shop had been in the family since the 1960s and had become a video rental library in the 1980s, selling adult films on the top shelf when a licence was not required.

He told the council that Rudies was low profile with a blacked out window and not open to anyone under 18.

Councillor Jaw Jethwa said: Rudies is quite a well presented shop from the outside, it's not huge. You can download this [material] quite freely, that's the area I'm more worried about.

But councillor Chris Davies raised concerns about whether the shop was suitable for the area, according to a report in the Bristol Evening Post: There is an emerging community at the rear of your premises – what impact will that have on children who might go that way to school?

After a short deliberation behind closed doors, the committee approved the application.

Soho is losing its unique atmosphere because of crackdowns on vice and an influx of chain restaurants, according to historians.

BBC presenter Dan Cruickshank is leading calls for Westminster council and police to stop trying to sanitise the district.

The council has announced a drive against drug dealers, street prostitutes and unlicensed sex shops, as well as drunken and anti-social behaviour, in an attempt to 'clean up' the area before the expected influx of visitors for the 2012 Olympics.

A police operation this month led to 50 arrests. More than 60 pedicabs have been seized and some £500,000 of illegal pornography destroyed following 22 raids on unlicensed sex shops.

But historians and residents say late-night revelry and all that goes with it are part the area's character. Cruickshank, who presented Around the World in 80 Treasures on BBC2, said: Soho is almost beyond recovery and I find it rather heartbreaking. Now it attracts chain shops, chain bars and chain restaurants and is no longer unconventional or curious. If the drunk and disorderly are people who come from outside as somewhere to hang out it's not on. But equally, a sense of wildness and inventive roughness creates some artistic individuals who do some interesting things.

Soho is still home to celebrated bars, clubs and restaurants, and is the hub of London's gay scene. Cruickshank said sex shops had long been part of the local scene.

Miserable Brighton and Hove City Council is looking to introduce strict quotas to ban any more sex shops and lap dancing clubs within the city's boundaries.

City bosses believe the new powers will give local moralists a greater say in restricting adult businesses.

But critics have warned the review could signal the end for Brighton and Hove being a cheeky tourist destination.

A council report, which will be discussed by the council's licensing committee, recommends lap dancing clubs should be upgraded from public entertainment centres to the same category as sex shops. It states no more than the three current lap dancing clubs should be allowed in the city.

The plans also set maximum appropriate numbers set for sex shops, which includes two in St James's Street, two near Brighton station and one in Hove. Officers state there should be no more anywhere else in the city.

Luminar Leisure, which operates Tru and Oceana nightclubs, has raised fears with the council about whether any new legislation will affect its podium dancers. Burlesque dancers and some Fringe acts could also be affected.

Denise Cobb, chairthing of the council's licensing committee, said: We welcome the new legislation which will give us tighter controls to limit the number and location of lap dancing clubs. We are currently consulting on a draft policy to cover lap dancing clubs and people are welcome to give us their view to help shape this. The consultation period runs until the end of August.

Green Euro-MPs want to ban the use of PVC in electrical goods for environmental reasons.

The move is aimed at old-fashioned mobile phones and dishwashers. But it would also mean a massive Rabbit cull.

The European Parliament's Environmental Committee is looking to put PVC on a list of materials that are not allowed to be used in electrical goods. They say it is environmentally unfriendly and particularly harmful when it ends up in landfill sites.

It would spell the end of PVC vibrators like some of the Rampant Rabbit range. Official documents from the European Parliament admit there are problems with finding alternative materials for some products.

An impact assessment report states: Some of these alternative materials proved unsuitable because of certain properties such as lacking flexibility or bad odour.

A European Parliament spokesman said the move was aimed at white goods. But he admitted it would hit sex toys too. In theory sex toys would be included, he said. Electrical goods end up in landfill sites often in developing countries and that is a problem.

Scandals Adult Shop has taken over from All Things Sexy in Ellesmere Port, and following a full refurbishment, have just opened this week.

Stocking a full supply of the latest titles, quality toys and lingerie, this shop is like our main shop in Birkenhead, stylish with male and female staff that are professional, well trained, and able to advise on the perfect product.

Couples and ladies friendly.

Scandals Adult Shop

2F Whitby Road
Ellesmere Port
South Wirral

According to information provided to TorrentFreak and by BeingThreatened.com, a consumer group set up to assist those wrongfully accused of infringement by ACS:Law and other lawyers, a sex shop has become an unlikely victim in the ongoing and hugely controversial anti-filesharing scheme.

Following a request under the Freedom of Information Act, it has been revealed that Darker Enterprises, the company behind the Private chain of sex shops, applied earlier this year to have one of its sex shop licenses renewed.

But the application didn't go smoothly. An objection to the granting of the license was received citing several potential grounds for refusal. The first claim stated there had been an attempt to hide the real owners of the applicants in order to obtain a license. The second was that the Private Shops website previously supplied restricted videos via mail contrary to law. Thirdly being a client of the ACS:Law scheme was cited in the objection.

Following the receipt by one north-west council of one such objection – which made direct reference to the scheme, describing it as one which '…bullies innocent individuals in respect of alleged file sharing of pornography…' – Darker Enterprises has withdrawn their renewal application, closed the shop and left the town, explains James Bench of BeingThreatened.com.

Sheptonhurst Ltd., which is a subsidiary of Darker Enterprises Ltd., was approached, along with a number of companies in the adult film industry, by a firm of solicitors offering to assist in tackling the problem of internet sharing of R18 [videos] on a no-win no-fee basis, said the company on its connections with ACS:Law: There had been concerns for some time not only because of copyright infringement but also because of the likely detrimental effects of uncontrolled circulation of material that should be subject to controls. The rights of enforcement were assigned to the solicitors concerned by a number of distributors.

But it seems that although only a single shop has been affected at this point, the situation has the potential to snowball.

The firm has to renew over a hundred licenses annually – a considerable liability. While they may feel that they have already been subject to a national campaign, the scope of their commercial vulnerability may yet become apparent, explains BeingThreatened's James Bench: In just the next two months license renewals are due in a further dozen towns including Stoke, Newport, Halifax, Bedford, Brent, Stevenage, Woking, Doncaster, Carlisle, Bolton, Brighton and Southampton, he concludes.

ETO is the major UK adult trade association, with representation from all of UK's adult retailers and distributors, both online and on the high street.

Voting is open now at www.erotictradeonly.com, but is only open to those registered as belonging to the UK adult trade. The free monthly trade magazine is very good and it is well worthwhile registering for those connected with the trade.

Congratulations to the following nominees:

Best Retail Chain

• Ann Summers
  
  Headed up by high profile boss Jacqueline Gold, AS is without question the biggest 'adult' brand in the UK, and with over 130 stores there are few towns left which have yet to be Summer-ised.
   
• Harmony
  
  Although Harmony has become one of the highest profile - and successful - British DVD brands, it began life as a licensed retailer. It has stores in London's Oxford Street and Walkers Court.
   
• Nice 'n' Naughty
  
  In little more than a decade Nice 'n' Naughty has grown from a single store to a high profile 15-strong chain. Its achievements include being the first adult store to gain Investors In People status.
   
• Private Shops
  
  With around 100 outlets Private is the UK's largest chain of licensed stores. Owned by David Sullivan it can boast a heritage on the British High Street stretching back over 30 years.
   
• Simply Pleasure
  
  Simply Pleasure is the retail arm of the ABS group. It has 32 stores in the UK and its branches regularly pick up Five Star ratings in ETO's Mystery Shopper reports.

Best Online Retailer

• DivaDirect.co.uk
  
  Formed in 2000, Diva Direct's subheading is 'Your Lesbian Shopping Experience' and it offers a comprehensive range of Sapphic-themed books, magazines, DVDs and sex toys.
   
• LoveHoney.co.uk
  
  Launched in 2002, LoveHoney has become one of the most successful retailers of adult toys, and certainly the highest profile. It has also developed a number of adult products under its own name.
   
• Passion8.co.uk
  
  A true industry veteran, having been formed by Stephanie Taylor way back in 1988, Passion8 prides itself on customer service and its high quality range of adult products.
   
• Sexshop365.co.uk
  
  One of the largest sex toy retailers, the company's website also boasts informative articles, sex tips, news, reviews and guides. It was one of the first adult retailers to utilise social media networks.
   
• Sextoys.co.uk
  
  The retail arm of Net 1on1 is one of the industry's big hitters, as you would expect with such a defining domain name. The slick site offers a huge range of quality brands at competitive prices.

ETO is the major UK adult trade association, with representation from all of UK's adult retailers and distributors, both online and on the high street.

Voting is open now at www.erotictradeonly.com, but is only open to those registered as belonging to the UK adult trade. The free monthly trade magazine is very good and it is well worthwhile registering for those connected with the trade.

Congratulations to the following nominees:

Best Adult Product

• Bargain Bunny (ToyJoy) Bargain Bunny it might be, but ToyJoy didn't cut corners on quality or on the packaging. It's multi-speed, waterproof and features four rows of vibrating beads in the shaft.
   
• Jessica Rabbit Ultimate (Loving Joy) The second rabbit to make the finalists sports all the features users have come to expect from vibes of this type, and it also boasts 36 stimulation combinations.
   
• Throbbing Hearts (Doc Johnson) Throbbing Hearts looks similar to other rabbits but it features an innovative shaft that expands outward and contracts again at three different speeds. It makes a cute putt-putt sound too.
   
• Vibrating Ice Massager (Touche/Shots Toys) A unique product, Vibrating Ice Massager resembles an egg cup which the user fills with water and pops in the freezer for a few hours. A bullet vibe provides the power for the icy treat.
   
• We-Vibe II (Standard Innovation Corporation) The original We-Vibe - the toy that is worn while having sex - just missed out in this category last year and this enhanced model features high and low settings as well as seven modes of vibration.

Best Consumable

• Gun Oil Silicone Lubricant
• ID Glide
• Liquid Gold
• So Hard
• VigRX Capsules

Best Film Brand

• Harmony
• Pink Visual
• Pumpkin Media
• Television X
• Viv Thomas

Best Gay Film Brand

• Eurocreme
• FreshSX
• Rentboy UK
• Triga
• UKNakedMen

Best Sex Toy Brand

• California Exotic Novelties
• Fun Factory
• Pipedream Fetish Fantasy Series
• Rocks-Off
• ToyJoy

Best Erotic Book Brand

• Cleis Press
• Erotic Review Books
• Goliath
• McCoy's Guides
• Xcite Books

Best Erotic Clothing Brand

• Cottelli
• Dreamgirl
• G World
• Leg Avenue
• Shirley of Hollywood

It is great to see that Melon Farmers is a finalist for the Erotic Trade Only (ETO) Awards.

ETO is the major UK adult trade association, with representation from all of UK's adult retailers and distributors, both online and on the high street.

Voting is open now at www.erotictradeonly.com, but is only open to those registered as belonging to the UK adult trade. The free monthly trade magazine is very good and it is well worthwhile registering for those connected with the trade.

The nominations for  Best R18 DVD:

• Fallen (Wicked Pictures)
  
  An outstanding three-hour blockbuster which features production values to rival a mainstream movie release. It stars Jessica Drake as an angel who falls to Earth in search of redemption.
   
• Marc Dorcel 30th Anniversary (Marc Dorcel)
  
  A deluxe six-disc box set which traces the history of French porn powerhouse Marc Dorcel through over 70 hardcore scenes dating back to the early 1980s. It was released at a pleasingly low price.
   
• Match Mates (JoyBear Pictures)
  
  First time director (and JoyBear staffer) Liselle Bailey pairs up her porn star mates with each other in five fly-on-the-wall scenes which ETO's reviewer praised for their honesty.
   
• Mother Fuckers (Union Films)
  
  Union Films has made great strides over the last twelve months and this title is a MILF-themed release which features five mature ladies having their way with younger guys.
   
• Real Punting 6 (LoadXXX)
  
  Like the others in this series, Real Punting claims to feature genuine British call girls. They are booked, interviewed on camera and then the presenter gets to shag them. Nice work...

The nominations for  Best Gay R18 DVD:

• Are You Being Serviced? (UKNakedMen)
  
  The debut release from UKNakedMen contains six scenes, which are given descriptive names rather than a number. It features authentic-looking costumes and impressive performances.
   
• Dads Fuck Lads 2 (FreshSX)
  
  The second instalment in this series continued where its predecessor left off - with older guys having their wicked way with lads young enough to be their son.
   
• Policeboy (Eurocreme)
  
  The uniforms look frighteningly authentic in this tale of a bent copper who shows his rookie colleague how to abuse his position of power over young miscreants.
   
• Skin Deep Part 1 (Kristen Bjorn)
  
  A two-hour epic which features a pair of Latin Mafioso who rule their underlings with a hard cock. They treat themselves to a new tattoo after every conquest, hence the title.
   
• Young British Hoodies 2 (Rentboy UK)
  
  Young-looking, slightly rough around the edges, British lads are a perennial favourite in gay DVDs and this film features five scenes of them getting to grips with each other.

It is great to see that Melon Farmers is a finalist for the Erotic Trade Only (ETO) Awards.

ETO is the major UK adult trade association, with representation from all of UK's adult retailers and distributors, both online and on the high street.

Voting is open now at www.erotictradeonly.com, but is only open to those registered as belonging to the UK adult trade. The free monthly trade magazine is very good and it is well worthwhile registering for those connected with the trade.

Congratulations to the sex shops nominated in the  Best Individual Store category:

• Harmony (Oxford Street, London)
  
  One of the most impressive stores in the UK, this branch was pipped to the Mystery Shopper award in 2008 by Harmony's Charing Cross Road outlet (sadly now closed due to area redevelopment).
   
• Nice 'n' Naughty (Brighton)
  
  Located on St James Street, this was formerly a branch of Clonezone until it was acquired by Nice n Naughty last year. The store has since been refurbished and the stock range broadened.
   
• Prowler (Soho, London)
  
  Prowler's hugely impressive Soho branch was described by ETO's Mystery Shopper several years ago as looking very handsome, with its neon signs and subtle window presentation.
   
• Soho Original (Brewer Street, Soho, London)
  
  Its ground floor is a mainstream book store but all the fun happens downstairs in the licensed section - ETO's Mystery Shopper called it smashing and a sexy shopping experience.
   
• Taboo (Brighton)
  
  One of the first retailers to get full marks from our Mystery Shopper, Brighton's Taboo went on to win the Mystery Shopper award for the best overall store visited at 2006's ETO awards.

Nice 'n' Naughty in Brighton are rightfully well pleased and add:

As a way of us celebrating the great news we would like to offer a further 5% off any purchase when quoting the password ETO in our Brighton store.

Fingers crossed that we get the award in July. It will be celebrations for us and a special treat for you all with a further 10% off in store!

Nice n Naughty Director, Simon Prescott, has successfully completed the London Marathon.

The Virgin London Marathon is one of the great British sporting events, combining elite athletics, mass participation and record-breaking fundraising in one race. The course is a gruelling 26 miles 385 yards long, passing through the streets of London from Blackheath to the famous finish line at The Mall.

Simon spoke of his achievement:

I managed to complete the marathon without passing out! It was an amazing, very challenging and towards the end painful experience, but one for lots of reasons I will never forget.

I managed to run for 22 miles without walking then stretched and walked for a couple of hundred yards then ran to the end-26.2 miles clocking a near course record of 5 hours, 5 mins, 37 seconds!  (only 180 minutes behind the winner)

Thank you for your very generous sponsorship donations, they will go to a very worth charity which is close to myself and Trish.

For anyone still wishing to donate a few quid then please visit uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimonPrescott

Simon's chosen beneficiary is a very worthwhile charity - Vitalise, which provides respite breaks and other essential services for disabled people, visually impaired people, and carers.

Thousands of disabled people in the UK have complicated medical and care requirements that can make taking even a short break incredibly difficult and costly to arrange. Vitalise Centres across the UK make a real difference through their accessible respite care and short breaks. Guests can spend their time in a supportive and safe environment while carers can take some much needed time off from their 24 hour a day role.

Back in 2004 Liverpool Council Trading Substandards took action against UK companies for selling R18 DVDs via mail order.

Interfact, associated with the Private Shops chain, were handed a substantial fine.

Interfact contended that they were operating from a licensed sex shop and challenged the prosecution right up to the House of Lords where they ultimately lost their case.

Now given that the 1984 Video Recordings Act wasn't actually in force, due to government oversight, then it is hardly surprising that Interfact would like to see some of their money back.

Interfact will now revisit the case in the High Court, Queen's Bench Division on the 6th May 2010. They have made an application for an appeal out of time in the case of Interfact vs Liverpool City Council.

A sex shop in Hertford is to start selling off its remaining stock at half price after announcing it is to close down.

Wendy Stevenson, who owns SWALK Adult Store, in Market Place, has decided to call it a day after five years in the town.

She told the Herald: It is sad to be closing as I have enjoyed the last five years as a retail owner in Hertford, however another business of mine is taking up so much time that I can not give as much attention to the shop as I should. We will still operate on-line, but as the end of my lease is near it was decided not to renew the retail outlet.

Update: Sexopoly

21st April 2010. Thanks to Wendy Stevenson

It is correct we are having a closing down sale and will not be renewing our retail lease, but the business will carry on as a website based business for a couple of reasons. Firstly, our lease is up for renewal and as my other business IOS Games has had a tremendous response for the upcoming release of our new game Sexopoly we have decided to concentrate on this and not renewal the shop for a further five years.

I have not owned the shop in Stevenage since August of last year. The cost of the licence and the rent and rates for Hertford were a major reason for not renewing and we are happy to provide our customers with an opportunity to continue to shop with us online.

Hackney Council's Licensing Committee has drawn up a Draft Sex Establishment Licensing Policy which proposes having none in any ward of the borough.

That would mean the four gentlemen's clubs and one sex shop currently resident in Hackney would have to argue why they should be allowed to stay open when they re-new their licence.

The committee met on Tuesday March 23 to discuss the draft policy which will go for public consultation later in the year and could then be adopted.

Two Blackpool sex shops have had their licences renewed for a further year.

The Private Shop, on Church Street in central Blackpool and Saints and Sinners on Foxhall Square will be licensed as sex shops for another 12 months.

Blackpool Council public protection committee heard there had never been a single cause for complaint relating to either retailer and there were no objections from the police, council enforcement department or members of the public to the licence renewal.

 An application has been made for a sex shop licence for Erotique 4 You at 448a Ashley Road, Poole, to trade seven days a week from 10am to 10pm.

One resident has objected to the application, which is due to go before Borough of Poole's licensing sub committee on March 2.

The hours are contrary to the standard operating times and if granted would be a special condition.

Erotique4you is a new shop with a large selection of sexy dance wear, lingerie and lots more.

It is currently open from Monday to Saturday 10am until 6pm.

Nice n Naughty Director, Simon Prescott, has raised thousands of pounds for charity in recent years by pushing himself to the limit for a good cause. This time, though, he's going for the Big One - the London Marathon on 25th April.

The Virgin London Marathon is one of the great British sporting events, combining elite athletics, mass participation and record-breaking fundraising in one race. The course is a gruelling 26 miles 385 yards long, passing through the streets of London from Blackheath to the famous finish line at The Mall.

Since the first race in 1981, more than £400 million has been raised for charities and good causes. Last year alone a staggering £47.2 million was reached, making the event a Guinness World Record holder as the largest annual fundraising event on the planet.

Simon's target is a bit more modest than £47.2 million but it's a challenge nevertheless. He's setting out to raise at least £1500 for a very worthwhile charity - Vitalise, which provides respite breaks and other essential services for disabled people, visually impaired people, and carers.

Thousands of disabled people in the UK have complicated medical and care requirements that can make taking even a short break incredibly difficult and costly to arrange. Vitalise Centres across the UK make a real difference through their accessible respite care and short breaks. Guests can spend their time in a supportive and safe environment while carers can take some much needed time off from their 24 hour a day role.

Please help Simon reach his target by donating at uk.virginmoneygiving.com/SimonPrescott. Simon has pledged to get the ball rolling by contributing £250 personally and you'll be helping make life easier for a lot of people for whom every day is a challenge.

An area of Dublin city centre has remained cordoned off following an incident of suspected arson at a head (legal highs) shop.

Dublin Fire Brigade said that three shops, including a souvenir store and Utopia, a sex shop, will have to be demolished.

Firefighters tackling the blaze rescued almost half a million euro in cash from a safe in the basement before one building was partly knocked down. The €485,000 sum of money was found in the Nirvana head shop and kept by gardai over the weekend.

The money was taken to the Bridewell Garda Station with the consent of shop owner Jim Bellamy. The cash is believed to be takings from the lucrative trade in legal highs and the adult store.

After internet complaints about the featuring of two items from Nice n Naughty, a leading adult toy retailer, on the Alan Titchmarsh Show. Nice n Naughty has commented in support of both the show and the specific feature which contained the items.

The show went out at 5pm on Wednesday the 10th of February and was part of a pre Valentine's Day special.

The controversy was caused when the show featured a piece of sexual furniture called the Inflatable Tilt Master and a sexual aid called the Advanced Clitoral Pump, which some viewers deemed inappropriate for this type of show.

Trish Murray, Director of Nice n Naughty comments, This type of product is always going to cause controversy with some people but the complaints which have been made are unfounded. We at Nice 'n' Naughty feel that the show handled the issues discussed in an appropriate manner and was definitely suitable for a mainstream audience.

The sex toy industry has become mainstream within the UK with over 2.5 million sex toys sold every year and an annual growth in the market place of 20%+ year on year.

Trish went on to suggest that by featuring such products, the show has in fact done a public service by raising the issue of sexuality and relationships within a mainstream forum.

Nice n Naughty has been an on and offline retailer of adult toys and adult fun since 1999, and have an open and honest approach to a couple friendly adult industry. Their website says: Our Mission is to help people enjoy completely fulfilling sexual relationships by stimulating their imaginations and giving them the opportunity to try different, exciting experiences and break down taboos.

Pressure group, Large Cause, represents licensed sex shops who feel that expensive licenses are an unfair when competing with unlicensed shops selling similar lines. The group took legal action against Ann Summers suggesting that one representative Ann Summers store should be licensed too.

The claim by Large Cause that the Ann Summers store in Brewer Street, Soho, should be required to apply for a sex shop licence culminated in a two day hearing at the City of Westminster Magistrates Court, London, on February 11th.

Large Cause Ltd, which stands for Licensed Adult Retail Group Encourage Councils Abolish Unlicensed Sex Establishments, now faces legal costs of £100,000.

District Judge Michael Snow rejected the private prosecution on three separate points – but they were related to who was bringing the prosecution and their reasons for doing so, rather than the nature of the case.

He told the parties: The motivation behind this prosecution appeared to be profit rather than upholding the law. And to allow this matter to proceed would be an affront to justice.

An application for costs has been made by Ann Summers legal team and this will be heard on March 3rd.

375 R18s were submitted to the BBFC for censorship in January 2010. This is a large surge as this compares with 836 for the whole of 2009.

BBFC R18 cuts for January 2010

Number of submissions = 375
Number that were cut = 75
Percentage of R18s censored by the BBFC = 20%

The R18 cuts stats 2010:

• January: 75 R18s cut out of 375 (20%)

2009: 199 R18s cut out of 836 (24%)

Cuts of interest:

Séance:

Distributor removed sight of a pool cue being inserted into the vagina.

House of Wicked:

Cuts made to potentially harmful activity in an R18 adult work (in this instance, vaginal penetration with a billiards cue and a cigarette holder).

A sex shop's bid to open on a Sunday has sparked 'fury' among nutter groups.

The Private Shop, in Chesterton Road, is asking Cambridge City Council for permission to open on a Sunday for the first time.

The Mitcham's Corner store is one of two adult shops in Cambridge, which are both banned from trading on a Sunday under existing rules.

Owners of the store will ask the council's licensing committee to approve changes that will allow it to open between 10am-4pm. A report to the committee says the move is likely to lead to the Confidential Shop, in Devonshire Road, also opening on a Sunday enabling both shops to operate on an 'even playing field'.

But the plans have predictably been criticised by nutter campaign groups.

Peter Lynas, from Keep Sunday Special, a campaign group said: Keep Sunday Special is about family and community relationships, rest and respecting faith. Increasing the opening hours of this shop won't help any of these. We want to see less shopping on Sundays, not more, so that people can enjoy a shared day off with their families. We hope the council will respect the views of the majority of people who do not want greater Sunday opening and refuse this application.

Lynette Burrows, author of Fight for the Family said: Christianity is still a major part of many people's lives and it should be reflected in our culture. We should be willing to say so and opening a sex shop on Sunday should not be allowed. We ought to have the confidence to say this is a seedy business. It sells products that do not respect women and exploits people's weaknesses and lust. We might not be able to stop it, but at least it can be confined to six days a week.

The Video Recordings Bill was given Royal Assent as scheduled on 21st January 2010.

The law comes into force immediately.

The Video Recordings Bill has received its 3rd Reading in the House of Lords on 20th January 2010.

The bill is scheduled to receive Royal Assent and come into immediate effect on 21st January.

So once again all videos and DVDs have to be vetted by state appointed censors and ludicrous restrictions, such as a ban on mail order porn, are restored.

This pair of shoplifters were caught on camera stealing sex toys from an adult shop.

Sex-shop chain Pulse and Cocktails, which has a branch in Blaydon, Gateshead, prides itself on offering a discreet service to customers calling in to browse its range of saucy lingerie, raunchy clothing and sex toys.

But two women were less than discreet when they entered the store, on Tundry Way, in full view of CCTV cameras to steal some of its kinky products.

They selected one sex-aid each, removed them from their packaging, and then left the shop without paying for them.

In total more than £100 worth of sex toys were stolen from the shop.

Police are now appealing to anyone who recognises the thieves, pictured, to get in touch. The shoplifters' images have been circulated by the independent charity, Crimestoppers.

A spokeswoman for Northumbria Police, said: Police are investigating a theft from a shop on Tundry Way in Blaydon Gateshead, on Monday, September 14. The items stolen have been described as 'sex aids'.

Pulse and Cocktails became Tyneside's first ever large-scale sex-superstore when it opened in 2002. And after Gateshead council approved its licence it became the borough's only licensed sex-shop, selling lingerie, pornographic videos, sex aids, and bondage equipment. However, the store caused controversy in 2008 when it erected huge bill-boards featuring scantily-clad women. Drivers complained they were distracting, and families said were unsuitable for children.

Anyone who recognises the women pictured or who has any information about this incident is asked to call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111. All callers can remain anonymous.

A sex shop owner has been ordered to pay almost £11,000 after refusing to get a licence from the council.

Martin Hale was taken to court by Southampton City Council when he ignored warnings that he needed to renew a licence for his Adult Gift Shop in Howard Road.

Hale challenged whether his shop came within the definition of a sex shop, denying that he needed a sex establishment licence.

But District Judge Calloway, sitting at Southampton Magistrates' Court, ruled he had no doubt in his mind that the premises were a sex shop.

Hale admitted three offences of trading without a licence. He was sentenced to fines totalling £6,000 and ordered to pay £4,973 costs.

The council charges a £7,500 fee for sex shop licence applications.

Hale has now applied for a licence which is due for consideration at a meeting next month.

The for sale signs have been taken down from Hull's most iconic adult store, after the owner was persuaded to keep it open.

Public reaction to the news of the possible closure of Gwenap adult store in Princes Avenue, west Hull, triggered a change of heart in Jim Starkey, who has run the store for 22 years.

Gwenap is instantly recognisable with its black and white facade and cheeky messages.

But after running the store for more than 20 years, Starkey announced in June he was calling it a day and looking for someone with fresh ideas to take over. Six months later, no one had come forward with a suitable proposal. But Starkey has decided to keep the shop going.