First victim of the seaside decency drive: a mankini

Police forced a holidaymaker to hand over a Borat-style "mankini" as part of a drive to prevent loutish and lewd behaviour in a popular seaside town.

11 July 2011

The Newquay Safe Partnership says the first few days of its "No Nonsense" ­campaign have resulted in a "great improvement" to the Cornish town's atmosphere.

Police are taking a low-tolerance approach to offensive T-shirts, sexually explicit antics and under-age drinking in the town which has become popular with teenagers celebrating the end of exams. In the first few days of the campaign three men were told to hand over crude toys and clothing, including a mankini, and 12 people were asked to leave the town for disorderly behaviour. Police also arrested eight people for alcohol-related offences and five 16-year-old girls were sent home to their families in Bristol after being found drunk.

Shop: Swimming Trunks

Officers also confiscated 433 cans and bottles of alcohol, mostly given to under-age teenagers by their own parents, and three people were caught trying to use fake ID to buy alcohol. One boy, aged 16, from Surrey, was found with several litre bottles of vodka and 13 cans of lager. Newquay police inspector Ian Drummond-Smith urged parents not to send their sons and daughters to the resort with alcohol.

He said: "We have started as we mean to go on and, although we are having to focus strongly on under-18s at the moment because of the numbers of teenagers celebrating their end of exams, our No Nonsense approach applies to over-18s as well and our action so far has made that clear.

Get set for the holidays

"Newquay welcomes everyone who behaves considerately and respects our world-class seaside resort, our residents and other visitors."