Lap-dancing sessions have started at a city centre bar in Oxford – despite continued protests from a neighbouring church congregation.

Al Thompson, the manager of Thirst Lodge, said lapdancing was being staged at the club, in Pennyfarthing Place, off St Ebbe’s, from Monday to Saturday, between 9pm and 3am.

There are no sessions on Sunday, and Mr Thompson said this was a deliberate concession to the neighbouring St Ebbe’s Church, which has led protests against the club’s application to stage lap-dancing events.

The city council’s licensing committee approved the application in December, but the church has appealed against the decision and an initial hearing is expected to take place before Oxford magistrates next month.

Mr Thompson said: “We’re now running the venue as a gentleman’s club called The Lodge, that has poledancing and lap-dancing. About 20 to 25 per cent of our clientele are women.

“There’s pole dancing on the ground floor and private dancers in the basement, which cost £20 each.

“The venue has been converted specifically for the purposes of pole and lap-dancing and has been fitted with CCTV cameras throughout.

“There’s also a no touching rule and panic buttons to ensure that our girls are protected.

“We know lap-dancing is contentious, so we have decided not to stage anything on Sunday, so that we don’t clash with the church’s activities.

“We’re doing everything in our power to ensure that we’re not noticed and there’s no advertising outside.”

Mr Thompson said there were 25 dancing girls on the club’s books, and added: “They’re all over 18 and most of them are over 20.

“They pay the house a percentage commission, but I suppose they could earn up to £200 a night if they did lots of dances.

“Some of the girls treat this as a profession and also dance at venues in London, including Stringfellows and Spearmint Rhino.

“They have their own private lives and do this to pay their way through university or to help pay the mortgage.

“The work is in the evening, so this fits in with childcare arrangements if they have children.”

Dr Lucy Bannister, a spokesman for St Ebbe’s Church, said: “Some members of staff have seen the girls smoking outside the club, with their coats on over their underwear.

“We sympathise with the women dancing at the club.

“Some of them will only be there because of circumstances that they wish were different and we would love to see them in church if they wanted to join us.

“We have now been told that there will be a hearing at the magistrates’ court on Monday, April 12, to decide when the final appeal hearing should take place.

“We hope new legislation will be passed later in the year, which will mean that premises like this will have to reapply for licences as sex establishments.”

Mr Thompson said the Greene King brewery was in the process of transferring the Thirst Lodge’s lease to new operators Warwood Ltd. The freehold of the building is owned by the city council.

Council leader Bob Price said earlier that the council would use new legislation, due to come into force next month, to force establishments staging lap-dancing to reapply for licences.