Published: 16 November, 2012

GRAPHIC pornography seized from unlicensed sex shops in the West End will be destroyed by the council.

Around 20,000 pornographic DVDs and sex toys, worth more than £500,000, are to be incinerated after Westminster Council conducted 63 separate raids on sex shops operating without a licence. The seized items are being kept in a ­storage facility before being sent for burning.

The council said it was “a necessary process to remove unsafe, poor quality goods from street”.

Councillor Frixos Tombolis, deputy cabinet member for public health and premises, said: “Taking on those who seek to fleece visitors ultimately benefits the legitimate operators.”

He added: “It can be a long and costly process to close these premises down for not having a licence. Some owners try to hide behind a front of selling souvenirs or mugs and sell unclassified ­illegal DVDs in the back of the shop.”