Soho sex shop denied late night licence as ‘gangs loiter’ in the area

By Adrian Zorzut, Local Democracy Reporter

Residents living near Soho sex shops say they have to deal with punters throwing up on their doorstep and gangs “robbing” people, a council meeting heard.

Residents claim some streets are a “no-go area” where “touts, robbers, drug dealers and pedicab drivers” loiter and approach people as they leave nearby pubs and clubs.

Soho already has 10 licenced sex shops, including two Thai massage parlours and a cabaret club that can hold 288 customers, council papers showed.

Another premises, Soho Original Adult Shop on Brewer Street applied to stay open until 1am but was rejected by Westminster City council during a licensing meeting on Thursday.

The council sided with objectors who feared letting the shop stay open beyond its current midnight closing hour would lead to an increase in pickpockets and drunken brawls.

During Thursday’s meeting, a representative for Soho Original Adult Store said they wanted to keep the stop open to cater for shoppers leaving West End theatres, pubs and clubs on their way to their hotel.

They also denied claims the shop was a “plug” that would attract hundreds of people and promised to work with the Westminster City council to minimise the impact of operating an extra hour.  They said they already had security on during big events.

But Westminster City’s own officers said the issue was not with the shop itself, but the crowd that it could invite into the area.

A council officer said: “It’s not the shops that cause the trouble, it’s the people who loiter in that specific junction. That specific junction is notorious.

“We have pedi cabs, we have gangs of youths that loiter in the area playing loud music and that police may be dealing with.”

Another officer said: “The gangs are there and they prey on people. They prey on people in the area late at night.

“The robberies at their highest in Soho are in this area and in Greek Street. It’s just a recipe for disaster so I find it very difficult to justify any extension of hours.”

Pictured top: Soho’s original Adult Store in Brewer Street which is applying to stay open until 1am (Picture: Google Street View)