CERIAN Sharkey is the woman in charge at Watford's first town centre sex shop.

Licensed adult store Harmony opened its doors today (Friday) with its window display of saucy lingerie already catching the eye of passers by.

Ms Sharkey, 21, is the store manager and said she was looking forward to meeting her first customers.

The former bar manager and club promoter from Watford, known to her friends as Carrie, said: "Most women my age have been into a sex shop, all my friends do and they're all really excited about it. It should be good, should be fun. It's going to be interesting.

"Sex sells, women love sex. It's just like a love of trainers. If you work in a sport shop you can't help but love trainers and it's pretty much the same."

The shop, which sells hard-core sex videos and DVDs, sex toys, lingerie, and novelty items was granted a licence by Watford Council in January.

Objectors had warned it would lower the tone of the town but traders in neighbouring shops appeared unfazed by the launch. One female shop worker told The Watford Observer: "I don't have a problem with it."

Neither did 80-year-old Eva Rogers, of Crossfield Court, who was interested to hear about the newest addition to The Parade.

She said: "If that's what people want then they can do what they want but I shan't be going in."

Multi-millionaire sex shop owner Tim Hemming, who has worked in the industry all his life and owns 24 other stores across the country, said: "I think it's created a bit of a stir but that's what we want to do. We'll see how successful it is in the response from the people and how we do with trading."