FIRE crews were scrambled to a blaze at former strip club G's in Bicester this afternoon.

Bicester Fire Station, posting on social media, initially said only that the fire was in the Deans Court area and that people should avoid the area.

Crews from Bicester, Buckingham and Oxford attended the fire, which has now been confirmed as the building which used to contain G’s.

The strip club-turned-wine bar is through an alleyway off Sheep Street in the secluded Deans Court.

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It said: "No-one is known to be involved and crews are bringing the incident to a close.

"It would be appreciated if people could avoid the Market Square and rear of Wilkinsons area."

In an update the fire service said as of 4.30pm the incident was now resolved.

It added: "Fire officers are working with Thames Valley Police to investigate, and crews are leaving scene."

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G's was, for many years, Bicester's only nightclub, but HMRC wound up the site in December 2016 as it had traded for two years unprofitably with the last few months' takings falling below £2,000 a week – not enough to cover wages.

In June, 2018 a planning application was submitted to turn the building into flats, though this was later withdrawn.

As part of the application a planning statement said the only profitable side of the business was when it became a strip club once a week, but this was not considered viable for more days each week.

Prior to this, the nightclub had a long history with police over concerns about fights and disorder, with the force calling for the council to revoke its licence in September 2012.

Thames Valley Police said figures showed 298 incidents at the club over a seven-year period – the equivalent of almost once a week.