EU town bans sex on the beach

A coastal town in the south of the Netherlands has launched a campaign intended to stop visitors to its beaches from engaging in public sexual activities, following a torrent of complaints from outraged locals.

‘Project Oranjezon’ – or ‘Orange Sun’ – follows numerous objections to council authorities in Veere about “sex acts carried out by naked recreationists,” prompting the municipality to erect signs warning flirtatious visitors that public sex is banned.

Authorities have also warned anyone hoping for a few moments of privacy that there is “increased monitoring” in place to ensure that “sexual meeting-place activities” don’t occur.

“The dunes are hugely important to the local community and must be protected,” Veere’s mayor, Frederiek Schouwenaar, told The Observer last week. “This is an important step to ensure public order and safety.”

Among the complaints were that “certain groups” had been using the sand dunes as a meeting place to engage in their illicit activities in public – leaving locals hoping that future visits to the seaside won’t be quite as X-rated.

“It was always a bit threatening,” Els den Dulk, 74, told The Observer last week. “This has been going on for 20 years with a few unsavory types.”

Marco Wiechert, operator of the Aloha Beach restaurant, said he had been privy to more than a few unusual sights near his establishment. “Some people would rather do it outside than in a bedroom,” he told the newspaper. “And others might come to do it because it has been banned.”