The borough council declared the town should be a sex shop free zone in 1985 after throwing out an application for a licence.

But now officers have realised the ruling would be unlikely to stand up in court.

They have recommended that councillors should look at each case individually instead of just rejecting everything.

Noise problems

Catherine Beaumont, from the council, said they had been talking to the authority's legal department about the issue.

She said: "Really we should look a bit more at each case on its own merits rather than a blanket ban."

An application for a lap-dancing club in Tunbridge Wells was thrown out earlier this year by the council.

But this was because of potential noise problems rather than a moral issue, the council said.