Leamington lap dancing club destroyed in attack

[dutchman]

A lap dancing club in Leamington has been smashed up in a mystery attack.

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Amara VIP gentleman's club in Court Street was targeted sometime between the early hours of Sunday morning (April 1) and Tuesday morning (April 3). The damage is estimated to run into tens of thousands of pounds.

Police are now investigating the attack, which saw sound systems ripped from their fixtures on the wall, seating destroyed and mirrors smashed.

The interior of the club - which on its website describes itself as offering "a sophisticated and stylish approach to adult entrainment" - was completely trashed, while bottles of champagne and spirits were also taken.

The bar manager was unaware of the attack.

He told The Observer: “I've worked here for ages and I'd no clue anything had happened at all.

“I was just expecting to come back in for my next shift but now I guess I don't have a job to come back to. We took a delivery on Friday but now all that stock's been taken as well.

“I helped to build some of the things in here and I'm absolutely gutted anyone could destroy it like this.

“The culprits have even gone so far as to take the toilet rolls - whoever did this must have been completely desperate.”

Amara's owners - who did not actually own the building - are understood to have spent around £250,000 transforming the venue, which courted controversy when it was granted a licence to become a 'sexual entertainment venue' a year ago.

The venue for many years was the popular bar Kelly's. It became Amara in December 2010.

And the ruling, allowing the club's owners to host lap dancing and pole dancing events up to seven nights per week, angered many residents.

The club, which offers a 60 minute VIP dance and two bottles of Moet for £550, was open until the early hours of Saturday morning before the attack took place.

An application had been lodged with Warwick District Council to turn the venue into a nightclub, which was rejected. An appeal is set to be heard on April 24.

But in a further twist the club owners insisted today (Thursday) they had ceased operating from the premises earlier this week.