Police have little to go on in case of the naked rambler

Laws designed to deal with 'flashers' cannot apply because the man, who has not been identified but is believed to come from outside the Ilkley area, simply walks naked about the moor.

He does not perform specific acts to offend women nor appear naked in the street. However, there is a possibility he could fall foul of disorderly conduct laws. Ilkley police Sergeant Esther Hobbs confirmed that a man had been arrested and bailed for further inquiries.

According to reports during this summer, Ilkley Moor is not the only walking area to experience this phenomenon.

Naked - apart from boots, backpack and sun hat - ramblers have been spotted in many areas of the Yorkshire Dales.

The practice is becoming common in the South of England and in the Lake District but it was thought that the Dales was too well visited for naturist rambling.

Although naked hikers proclaim the practice is entirely innocent, North Yorkshire police say that particularly lone women walkers or families with children could feel threatened by unexpectedly meeting a naked man on a footpath.

Naturists even have their own Internet web site called the Singles Outdoor Club to encourage the practice.

The site advertises walks varying from eight to 12 miles on a year-long programme. It says: "The object of these walks is to enjoy the exhilaration of walking without the encumbrance of clothing.

"We are not planning to make any sort of political point, or to make any sort of challenge to members of the public.

"It is our policy to carry 'cover-up' garments which we put on when we see other walkers approaching us from a distance, or realise that we are about to pass farmers working in their fields.

"Just occasionally, we have met someone without warning, and have just greeted them with a cheerful 'good afternoon'.

"As far as we know we have not given offence to anyone in the ten years that our walks programme has been in existence."