AFFLUENT Birmingham bankers, lawyers and sports stars are bouncing back from the recession by splashing out up to £7,000 a night – on lap dancers.

Bosses at Spearmint Rhino in Hagley Road said business had outstripped levels of just six months ago by 30 per cent as the boom times promised to return to Birmingham’s night-life.

The Edgbaston strip club, one of Birmingham’s longest-established lap-dancing venues, is attracting up to 1,300 customers a week, bringing in takings of an average £50,000 and making it the chain’s most profitable venue outside London.

And the recession has also attracted cash-strapped girls to the club seeking jobs as dancers to help them pay their bills.

John Specht, vice-president of UK operations, said: “We are seeing an upward trend in all our UK venues, and in Birmingham we have seen a 30 per cent increase over the last six months.