COUNCILS can regulate the sale of chewing gum but not lap dancing clubs MSPs have been told.

Glasgow City Council wants to be able to refuse licences to lap dancing clubs and effectively ban them from the city.

But even under the new proposed rules it is unclear if the council could force clubs currently operating to close.

The councils licensing chief told MSPs that other activities were regulated but not clubs which others said have raised concerns about exploitation, violence towards women and prostitution.

A new Licensing bill is proposing to change the law and introduce a sexual entertainment licence and allow councils to set a limit on the number within their area.

Glasgow would like to have the power to set the limit at zero.

Mairi Miller, Legal Manager for Licensing at Glasgow City Council, told the Local Government Committee at Holyrood of an anomaly in the system.

She said: "In licensing legislation we have regulation of window cleaners, burgers sold in vans and the sale of chewing gum in late hours catering but currently this form of activity is not regulated. "There are no controls. That's a fundamental point that this bill will allow local authorities to license them."

She said there were four lap dancing clubs in the city covered by an adult entertainment licence

She said: "Local Authorities should be given the power to set the licence numbers at zero.

"Research would be needed to determine what the appropriate number should be, but they should have the ability set it at zero.

"A decision would be needed whether existing premises should be given 'grandfather rights'."

The owner of a lap dancing club in Glasgow said he was concerned about jobs and not safety.

Andrew Cox of Seventh Heaven said: "If there was a ban people are out of a job. There are nine or ten full time people in my club."

He said there were no safety concerns about the women working there and said the police are allowed in and can talk to the "girls".

He said: "We have exceeded every regulation we have been hit with."

Mr Cox said his girlfriend and wife to be is a dancer.

He added: "The way she is looked upon by men has done us no harm".

"Every girl, every venue is different"

Violence against women campaigners said the clubs added to a wider societal problem and called for zero licence limits.

Laura Thomson of Zero tolerance said: "There are so many issues around prostitution being accessed through lap dancing. Women feel unsafe around the venues and workers are harassed outside the venue."

She added: "Just because one venue is well run, it doesn't mean they all are."