A BOURNEMOUTH lap dancing club, whose licence is under review, has been accused of “exploiting” an intoxicated customer by taking £7,500 from him in one night.

The former customer, who cannot be named for legal reasons, admits he was “foolish” to enter the club while drunk but claims staff took advantage of his intoxicated state.

He said a total of £7,500 was taken from him in 13 separate transactions – which represented a third of his annual salary in one go.

The man, who lives in Northern Ireland, has formally objected to the renewal of Spearmint Rhino’s licence and has written to Bournemouth’s licensing department urging councillors to refuse the renewal application when it comes before them on December 2.

He is being supported by Bournemouth town centre councillor David Smith who said he was “shocked and concerned” to hear about the allegations against Spearmint Rhino.

The row stems back to August 2013 when the customer visited Spearmint Rhino in Yelverton Road.

He said he was already drunk when entering the club but was then plied with alcohol at regular intervals until he was so drunk he couldn’t remember how he got back to his hotel.

His letter to the council states: “I fully acknowledge that I was foolish to enter the club drunk and in possession of several credit cards, but I have been in similar situations before and never experienced anything remotely approaching this or involving such a life-changing sum of money – and someone being foolish does not excuse in any way the actions of the club and its employees and the way they grossly exploited a person in a vulnerable position.”

He said he had never been provided with a satisfactory explanation for the pattern of the transactions.

These included taking £1,176 in two transactions two minutes apart, £2,304 in three separate transactions only eight minutes apart and then £2,928 in three separate transactions six minutes apart.

Cllr Smith said: “I was shocked and concerned to hear of the experience this man had in Spearmint Rhino.

“There are very strict rules governing the way Spearmint Rhino and other sexual entertainment venues can operate and it is imperative these are adhered to.

“People visiting these venues need to have confidence that they are run properly.

“We want people to visit Bournemouth and leave with a great impression of the town, and that clearly hasn’t happened here.

“Due to my concerns I have objected to the renewal of the licence and I hope the licensing board share my concerns when it comes before them in December.”

Spearmint Rhino had not responded to requests for comment at the time of going to press.