Was controversial lap-dancing club destroyed by arsonists?

And in a country with more lap dancing clubs than rape crisis centres, is this really any great loss?

Obviously arson is a very bad thing and all, especially if firefighters risk their safety, but lap dancing clubs surely aren't good for any community, whatever your opinion on the merits of women making money by dancing for sleazy customers and calling it 'empowering'?

According to the Daily Mail (ouraged at this attack on entrepreneurs' freedom to make money out of vulnerable women, naturally) firefighters used a sniffer dog to search for signs of petrol or other flammable liquids and police checked CCTV footage for a possible arsonist in the area early yesterday morning.

Club Redd in Burgess Hill, West Sussex, was one of scores of lap dancing venues that have opened in small towns and residential areas since the government relaxed the laws in 2003.

But despite an internet campaign on Facebook and a letter writing blitz by angry locals to try to halt the development, the council said it was powerless to act because, under the rule change, the club did not need to apply for a special licence to operate.

Local Liberal Democrat councillor Anne Jones said many residents were outraged when the club launched last month.

'There was a great deal of opposition to this club when it opened. It came as a surprise because there had been no consultation whatsoever with the town's residents. We had not asked for the club and suddenly it was there. It didn't have to ask for permission as they are automatically licensed as just an ordinary club. It is an issue that a lot of people feel very strongly about at the moment. It doesn't feel as though the Government is listening to ordinary people anymore,' she said.

Under the 2003 Licensing Act, which introduced 24-hour drinking, lap-dancing clubs outside London are treated in the same way as bars, restaurants or traditional nightclubs.

This meant that Club Redd, which opened on a former nightclub site, did not need to apply for a special licence despite offering sexual services. The number of lap-dancing venues has doubled to more than 300 since the 2003 act.

Club Redd manager Leo Valls said he was 'absolutely convinced' the fire had been started deliberately.

In an extraordinary outburst, he even claimed the fire was an attempt at 'violent censorship' similar to the book burning in Nazi Germany.

Hmm. Now, I can understand the guy's pissed off. He has a right to be if someone's burnt his business down, however heinous his industry of choice. But the destruction of knowledge and the wiping out of ideas that didn't fit a fascist creed compared to the temporary closure of a sleazy sex establishment? Er, I don't think so.

What do you reckon? Should lap dancing clubs be allowed to spring up all over the country without having to consult the local community or seek a special licence? Is lapdancing just a harmless activity that's completely harmless for both customer and client? Or something far more sinister, and depressing evidence of our society's lack of respect for women?