There’s an increase in Brits taking their kit off and sunbathing naked as the weather gets warmer, according to new research. New analysis from garden retailer Primrose reveals that during the July 2021 heatwave, when the Met Office issued the UK’s first-ever extreme heat warning, there was a 354% surge in ‘naked sunbathing’ related Google searches.
With the sun shining and temperatures expected to soar to 23C this week, it’s expected that more Brits will be wearing minimal layers in the privacy of their own garden to avoid tan lines.
But how far is too far? If you’re thinking of ridding your clothes in favour of a sun-tan this week, Primrose has found that tanners risk being on the wrong side of the law this summer. The law states that it is not a criminal offence to sunbathe naked in public, as long as it doesn’t cause distress or alarm to others.
The GOV UK website reads, “In the absence of any sexual context and in relation to nudity where the person has no intention to cause alarm or distress it will normally be appropriate to take no action unless members of the public were actually caused harassment, alarm or distress (as opposed to considering the likelihood of this).”
Primrose spoke to Michelle, a digital marketing manager based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, who spotted her neighbour tanning in the nude for the first time a few years ago.
“Initially I was a bit shocked to be walking around my house and suddenly see everything outside my window. I worried that they were more visible than they perhaps realised
“My neighbours sunbathing in the nude is a very regular occurrence in summer. I’m totally used to it now and don’t bat an eyelid, but I do know they’ve had a disagreement with other people on the street who have disagreed with it. They aren’t perhaps as private with it as they initially thought and it could be offensive to others, especially different cultures, families and older generations.”
