Naturists on one of Britain’s most popular nudist beaches fear they are being spied on by a voyeur flying a drone.
A number of naked sunbathers were left angry when they were buzzed by a radio-controlled drone that flew up and down the famous Studland nudist beach in Dorset.
They feared a camera was attached to the device and that the operator, who could not be seen, had the bare cheek to take some shots of the bathers in a state of complete undress.
Officials are looking into the matter and have stepped up patrols in case the drone operator returns.
A member of the Studland United Nudist group said: ‘Several naturists heard and saw a drone fly over the naturist area including families who are concerned about this new invasion of their privacy and the possible subsequent use of any photographic material that may have been taken.
‘The machine went along the whole stretch of Studland so the owner could not be identified. For obvious reasons, naturists need to know who it was.’
Studland nudist beach is a public space but the users enjoy some privacy as it is obscured by sand dunes on one side and has the sea on the other.
There are plenty of signs warning members of the public about naturists being seen on the approaches either side of the designated bathing area.
But an overhead drone with a camera on board flying relatively low in the sky is a modern phenomenon the nudists did not expect to contend with.
A spokesman for the National Trust, which owns the beach, said they were concerned about the drone allegations and insisted that any requests for photography had to go through them first.
Jon Bish, from the trust, said: ‘The flying of drones over National Trust land is not allowed without permission – which was not sought or given on this occasion.
‘We would ask anyone who witnesses an incident of this kind at Studland to speak to a beach ranger or contact us so that we can take action.’
The National Trust insists requests to fly drones on their land are only approved where the operator is accredited by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and has CAA permission to undertake aerial work in the UK and sufficient insurance.
Mr Bish explained: ‘We also require drone operators to identify themselves, use signage to make the public aware that filming is taking place and to respect the privacy of our visitors.’