LONDON, Jan. 30 (UPI) -- A British vicar says a town council's move to ban strip clubs and sex shops is a bad idea because it could lead to an increase in street crime.
The Rev. Paul Turp said the zero-tolerance policy approved by the Hackney council in London would push women who currently work in blue venues into the streets.
"The council has created a problem where there wasn't one to begin with," said Turp. "They deliberately disregarded the views of the people."
The Independent said Turp, who was the inspiration for the BBC television comedy "Rev," runs a homeless shelter out of his church in London's Shoreditch area that regularly takes in down-on-their luck prostitutes.
One of women currently dancing in a Hackney club told The Independent that the establishments provide a level of security for her and other dancers that would be lost under the new policy.
