Sex shop owners in Oxford are likely to be charged an annual £5,000 licence fee.

The city council's executive board agreed on Monday, December 23, to impose the fee in a bid to regulate the number of sex shops in the city.

There are now three in the Cowley Road area.

Councillors agreed to use the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 to control sex establishments through a licensing system. This will include the £5,000 fee, and come into force on April 1.