Hard core pornography will not be legally available in Swindon after the council decided not to adopt a policy of allowing licensed sex shops.

Unlicensed shops cannot sell hard core videos, and it is up to local authorities whether they decide to allow licensed sex shops.

Licensing officer Lionel Starling told councillors at the Ad-Hoc Licensing Sub-Committee the legislation was complex and the council had little to gain from allowing it. The town's two sex shops, in Old Town and Gorse Hill, operate legally because they do not sell hard core material and so do not need a license.