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A national advocate for open nudity has spoken about why he thinks the attitude to being naked needs to change.

Peter Wright, 64, a legal volunteer for the British Naturism group, got in touch after reading several stories about naked people on DevonLive last week.

They included reports of a man spotted walking naked down Exeter High Street and a couple who were caught having sex in a field in Holsworthy.

But Peter has told devonlive.com that he believes public nudity should be more acceptable.

He said: "People's attitudes need to change. In Germany and Scandinavia and much of Europe the body is simply accepted - and some of those countries are a lot colder than ours.

"Britons seem to have a sense of prudery which I believe has come from religion over the years.

"There's an air of indecency about it here, but it's nothing untoward - it couldn't be more natural."

Although Peter doesn't condone walking down the high street naked, he does feel nudity should be tolerated in other public areas.

He said: "A good rule of thumb is if you wouldn't wear a bathing suit somewhere, you probably shouldn't be naked there.

"Places like public parks, lakesides and beaches could quite easily be naturist friendly.

"In fact, there are plenty of nudist-friendly spots around the country, including several in Devon.

"Brighton Beach has famously had a nude-friendly section since 1979.

READ MORE: Where are Devon's nudist beaches?

"Paris and Munich have opened up public parks with nudist sections, and we have requested similar at a park in Glasgow.

"Last week there was a theatre production of Hair in London to a completely naked audience.

"It's definitely expanding and becoming much more popular.

Peter also believes there are naturist benefits for children and says young people should "be brought up innocent, not ignorant".

He said: "Kids are much better raised in naturist environments - it means there is no fascination and they won't feel inclined to do things secretly.

"If parents don't teach children about their bodies they will find pornography online and that gives all the wrong messages.

"There's no one to guide them online."

When a naked man was spotted walking down Exeter High Street last week, the moment was captured on a smartphone.

Peter, who is a legal volunteer for British Naturism, says he would have expected more complaints to police about nudity due to the proliferation of smartphones, but actually the opposite is true.

He said: "There were only three court cases brought against naturists last year, and most were dismissed.

"We cooperate fully with police and actually help in some cases, determining whether or not certain pictures are acceptable.

"We don't want bad guys in our communities any more than you."

Talking about DevonLive's story last week in which a couple were spotted having sex in a field full of sheep in Holsworthy, Peter believes they may not have been breaking the law.

He explained that outdoor sex is legally ambiguous, but against custom and practice.

"If the couple didn't realise they had been seen and had made efforts to ensure their privacy, it is lawful. However, that would change if there were a voyeuristic element to their behaviour.

"There is no sexual component to naturism though."

For more information you can visit the British Naturism website here.

The Benefits of Naturism - according to Peter Wright of British Naturism