Strip clubs should be subjected to statutory national restrictions to prevent light-touch councils giving public entertainment licences to brothels or opening adult entertainment venues near schools, experts have advised.

A one-size-fits-all policy for all Scottish councils would prevent the "farcical" situation in England and Wales where one council's decision to refuse a strip club licence can be successfully challenged - at great expense to the council - because a neighbouring council is more liberal, Kent University sex work expert Professor Phil Hubbard told MSPs.

National guidelines should be set on licensing fees - which range from £300 to £26,000 down south - and the amount of skin permitted on show, he told Holyrood's Local Government Committee.

Scotland's new Licensing (Scotland) Bill should also include specific restrictions on licensing premises used for prostitution or fornication, to prevent liberal councils handing public entertainment licences to brothels, he said.

National guidelines were backed by violence against women campaign Zero Tolerance, which attacked sexual advertising near schools in areas such as Edinburgh's "Pubic Triangle" which persists despite repeated complaints to the council.

But the strip clubs' trade association warned against central government imposing a "draconian regime" on councils, arguing that the ban on religious comedy Life Of Brian in Glasgow or the ban on cult French porn movie Emmanuelle in some rural cinemas demonstrates the diverse moral sensibilities in Scotland's communities which should be respected.

Prof Hubbard said: "I think the introduction of the Police And Crime Act 2009 in the UK was by and large farcical in terms of the way it was allowed to proceed.

"What we have in England and Wales is a situation that I would like to see avoided in Scotland, where we have a licensing regime for these establishments in one local authority but not in a neighbouring one.

"Fees for these establishments range from £300 to £26,000.

"We have a situation where some local authorities will ban nudity and others will not.

"The whole situation has led to a whole range of appeal cases and litigation in which legal unreasonableness and inconsistency have been raised as valid concerns, and some of these appeals have been upheld.

"It has created a great deal of anxiety, expenditure and time for local authorities who have been left to evolve policies of their own."

Legislation should "not allow for massage parlour owners to effectively license their premises as brothels", he said.

"There needs to be an additional clause inserted which suggests that this Act should include any premise resorted to being used by more than one woman or man for the purposes of prostitution or fornication," he said.

"Otherwise one could get into a situation where a licensing board on a very good day could decide to issue a massage parlour with a sexual entertainment licence."

Laura Thomson, co-director of Zero Tolerance, said: "Sexual entertainment is a form of commercial exploitation with links to violence against women.

"There are so many issues around prostitution being accessed through lap-dancing, and research throughout Scotland shows that is very prevalent.

"Women involved in prostitution are much more likely to be victims of violence, women feel unsafe around the venues, women working in the venues face abuse and harassment.

"If we are going to bring a new licensing regime, which we support with the caveat that we would like to see an end to this kind of exploitation, then it needs to take these broader themes in mind which is why I agree with Professor Hubbard that it needs to be mandatory for all local authorities to take this up."

She added: "If you walk down Lothian Road or what is called the Pubic Triangle by locals in Edinburgh you will see very clear, very obvious signage is being used.

"It has been challenged by Zero Tolerance and nothing has changed, but it is within one or two streets of at least three schools so something is obviously not happening there."

Janet Hood, licensing specialist at the Association of Licensed Adult Entertainment Venues Scotland, said: "It would be very unwise to try to fetter the decision making of licensing boards, licensing committee or planning committees.

"We have to allow for local decision making whether it is for sexual entertainment venues, alcohol licensing or any other form of licensing.

"I don't think it should be the purpose of the Scottish Government to try to impose a draconian regime that had to be followed by elected members who are considering the requirements of what should happen in their communities.

"I would cite for interest the fact that the Life Of Brian was banned in Glasgow for 20 years, Emmanuelle was barred in certain rural cinemas for years.

"These are films that could openly be viewed virtually everywhere else in Scotland.

"Those were decisions taken by local government for whatever reasons they had - and whether or not we approve them, they were taken legitimately by people who have concern for people in their areas."