HEADS shook in horror when Toowoomba’s first strip club opened last week.

Now, the controversial establishment has further raised the hackles of angry locals by opening a topless barber shop.

Hairdresser/stripper Bree Francis is giving the in-your-face haircuts as a cheeky added attraction at The Vault on Ruthven St.

“A fellow last week paid for three haircuts just to look at my boobs and then he gave me a $120 tip afterwards,’’ Ms Francis, 21, said.

“It’s so different from normal hairdressing. I’m more comfortable because I’m naked.’’

But Toowoomba locals who fought unsuccessfully to stop The Vault from opening in a former Commonwealth Bank building say the topless barber shop is “just rubbing our noses in it”.

Local church leader Paul Galligan said 3000 locals objected to the “striptease joint”, along with senior police, the Toowoomba City Council, Chamber of Commerce and local Newman government MP Trevor Watts.

But the Queensland Civil and Administrative Appeals Tribunal last month rejected an appeal against the decision to grant LA Showgirls Pty Ltd an adult entertainment permit to open the $2.5 million club.

Mr Galligan, who heads Revival Ministries which runs a Christian teaching centre about 100m from The Vault, said he was shocked it had been approved in the face of such fierce community opposition.

“It has only been open a little over a week but already the evil fruit of it is evident,’’ he told The Sunday Mail.

“As a long-time Toowoomba-ite, I’m just shocked this thing was allowed.’’

Mr Galligan said the area had become a red light district.

“There’s been a drastic change of atmosphere in this part of town since the striptease joint opened,’’ he said.

“We are seeing drunkenness in the street, foul language and threatening behaviour. It’s frightening.’’

Mr Galligan said locals were upset they could not use morality as a grounds of objection against the strip club.

He said objectors were considering a Supreme Court appeal and he had written complaints to Premier Campbell Newman and Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie.