CITY councillors blasted a bid to open a late-night occasional strip club in Newport.

Businessman Enzo Nigro wants to hold weekly strip shows and extend the opening hours of The Bassment, on Stow Hill.

It is the second time the club owner has applied to do so; back in December councillors threw out a similar application after outrage from locals.

Now Mr Nigro wants council licensing bosses to extend the club's opening hours until 4am on Mondays, Tuesdays and Sundays, 5am on Wednesdays and 6am on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

If the application, made under the government's new 24-hour licensing laws which come into force in November, is given the go-ahead The Bassment will become the latest-opening premises in the city.

Mr Nigro also wants licensing bosses to give the go-ahead for male and female strip shows at the club on Thursday evenings.

But local councillor Miqdad Al Nuami said he would be opposing the "seedy" application.

He said: "I would oppose the extension of the opening hours on the basis that it would cause quite a disturbance for residents, with people leaving and getting into cars late at night.

"Regarding the lap dancing, residents feel it is a bit too seedy for the area. We have had a lot of applications for nude acts and if we grant permission for one, more will follow suit.

"I don't think these kind of places raise the tone of an area. We are trying to regenerate the city, and strip clubs give a sense of decay rather than regeneration."

Councillor Peter Davies said he was against the club being allowed to open until early morning so close to a residential area.

He said: "I intend to make the electors who are in that part of the world aware of the application and I shall support them in whatever they wish to do."

St Mary's parish priest, Father John Kelly, says he will oppose the application.

He said: "We've got too much going on in the area already, with boy racers keeping residents up at night. This will just make things worse.

"The nudity will just add to the degradation of the city centre."

Comments about the application need to be lodged with the city council by July 12 and councillors will then meet to make a decision.