A council is to launch a groundbreaking legal bid to control the proliferation of strip clubs.

A new law is likely to be introduced to Parliament to create specific legislation for Brighton and Hove to limit the growing number of gentleman's clubs.

Councillors have expressed frustration at inadequacies in the new licensing legislation which has left officials almost powerless to stop new venues opening.

Members of the city's licensing committee are likely to agree to the move next week which will then require the council's resources committee to stump up £100,000 of funding for the bid.

Last month councillors passed a resolution to lobby the Minister for Culture, Media and Sport to extend tighter controls on strip clubs - which currently only apply in London - to the rest of the country.

But officers believe this route is unlikely to be fruitful and are drawing up plans for a private members' bill which allows organisation outside of Parliament, like councils, to gain special powers not available under general law.

While politicians and the public worried that the Government's new late-night drinking legislation would lead to a surge in binge drinking, the biggest problem to arise is a loophole in the law which groups nude and ballroom dancing under the same umbrella.

This means the councillors cannot reject an application purely on the grounds that the dancing is exotic.

Last year an application by Rocco Mana for a strip club in East Street, Brighton, was turned down by the city council's licensing panel following objections from the police and residents.

But the decision was overturned on appeal by the magistrates court which ruled that police lacked conclusive evidence linking strip clubs with crime.

Since then, a gentleman's club has opened on Western Road, Brighton's two semi-nude venues - Top Totty in Grand Parade, Brighton, and Pussycat in Church Road, Hove - have applied for full nudity and two other venues in central Brighton are looking to introduce stripping.

With tighter controls, like those operating in London, councillors would be able to turn down applications if they considered the number of strip clubs already in that area was adequate or that granting a licence would be inappropriate due to the character of the area.

Tim Nichols, head of Environmental Health and Licensing, said: "Brighton and Hove has a reputation for creative and innovative entertainment and freedom, but as the law currently stands locally elected councillors have no powers to control the proliferation of strip clubs and the consequential effect they have on the character of neighbourhoods.

"There is concern about growing pressure from operators looking to open fully nude strip and pole dancing clubs in the city and the committee will be considering a private bill as a possible option to give councillors greater local powers to determine applications."

Jeane Lepper, chairwoman of the licensing committee, said the move had wide support and that discussions will be held with other councils to see if they are interested in sharing the cost.

She said: "The licensing act is inadequate as it doesn't give us the power to deal with this sort of thing.

"The private members bill would allow us to say yes or no to an application."

The new law could be introduced as early as July 2008.