No sex on the beach: Dutch town issues warning to nude visitors after complaints

There will be no more warnings from officials, but there will be instant "verbal" enforcement and the installation of eight additional information boards.

Digital Desk: Following a succession of complaints from locals, a town in the Netherlands has launched a campaign to discourage nudist beach visitors from having sex on the beach and in the dunes.

On Thursday, Veere, a municipality in the Netherlands, posted revised seaside signs informing visitors that the dunes are legally off limits, public sex is prohibited, and there is "increased monitoring" to prevent "sexual meeting place activities in the dunes, nature reserve, and beach."

According to The Guardian, the 'Project Oranjezon' campaign was sparked by a flood of complaints to the municipality, water board, and local environment organization about "sex acts carried out by naked recreationists" and evidence that specific groups were pre-arranging liaisons.

"The dunes are hugely important to the local community and must be protected from undesirable behaviour that damages the natural environment and can disturb other holidaymakers," Veere's mayor, Frederiek Schouwenaar, said in a statement to the Observer. This is a critical step in maintaining public order and safety."

There will be no more warnings from officials, but there will be instant "verbal" enforcement and the installation of eight additional information boards.

 "We greatly appreciate that our mayor is taking enforcement action: these excesses must be combated," said Perry de Visser, a party spokesperson, to the Observer.

Naturist organizations feel it is also vital to separate naked sunbathing from sexual activities.

"Sex outdoors is not naked recreation," said Karlien Lodewijk, a representative for the NFN Open en Bloot (open and bare) naked recreation organization. "People who come to sunbathe find it just as much of a nuisance as other people do." Naked recreation gives a true sense of freedom, and seeing real, naked bodies that are not photoshopped is highly beneficial. However, we avoid having sex outside."