Spearmint Rhino Sheffield gives up licence after renewal battle

Spearmint Rhino in Brown Street has been open for 18 years.

A controversial strip club which closed in March due to coronavirus restrictions may not re-open its doors.

Spearmint Rhino, which has been on Brown Street in Sheffield for 18 years, has surrendered its sexual entertainment venue licence.

The club won a high-profile battle to renew the licence for a six-month period last September after a campaign by women's equality campaigners.

But Sheffield City Council said it has now withdrawn its latest application.

The renewal was backdated from April, when the UK was in lockdown. The club has also transferred its alcohol licence to another operator, the council said.

It also said no other applications had been received from the club, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

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Pro-Spearmint Rhino protesters and dancers marched from the club to Sheffield Town Hall last year calling for "rights not rescue" and "my body, my choice"

In the summer, the club dropped a privacy case against women's equality campaigners who commissioned secret filming of dancers at work.

The footage was showed to the council last year in support of calls to have the club's sexual entertainment licence removed.

But pro-campaigners, including dancers, marched through Sheffield calling for the club to stay open, with some supporters comparing the footage to "revenge porn".

Both sides gave passionate speeches over an eight hour hearing, and the club was allowed to keep its licence until April.

Charlotte Mead, of Sheffield Women's Equality Party which has campaigned for years against the club being in the city, said: "It's really good that they've left Sheffield after so long campaigning for them not to be here in our community right next to [Sheffield Hallam] students' union.

She said the campaign and Covid-19 both "played a part" and added the lap dancing club would have "just sat out" coronavirus if it was not for campaigns against it.

Spearmint Rhino was unavailable for comment when contacted by the BBC.

Some strip club dancers, who have not worked since March, have said the industry has been hit hard by coronavirus pandemic restrictions.