Details 

According to reports, some years ago a particular Merseyside Police Area Commander (based in Southport) received complaints about "sexual activity" on Ainsdale Beach. As a result he mounted a surveillance operation folowed by a raid using both mounted police and officers on foot, supported by vehicles and a  police helicopter.

Several arrests and prosecutions arose from the raid and few naturists dared to venture onto Ainsdale  beach while that particular police commander remained in post. 

When he eventually left and was replaced by a new area commander, the
new man clearly and unambiguously stated the following:

"...I have no problem with [reasonably behaved] naturists on the beach; I do not see the previous problems at Ainsdale as a naturist issue; I do not even see the problems we had as a gay issue; I do see the problem as one of people, gay or straight, men or women, singly or in a group, behaving inappropriately on the beach and in the dunes immediately adjacent to the beach..."

Unfortunately, having been once driven off, the naturists apear to havenever returned to Ainsdale and no-one appears to be willing to campaignfor its future use.

 
Reports in 2005 and May 2006 suggest that naturists at Ainsdale areonce more being actively persecuted by Sefton Council and the Police -chased by officers mounted on quad bikes, arrested and then pressuredinto admitting their "guilt" before accepting a caution.

Merseyside Police work in co-operation with all the landowners in arresting any nude people on Sefton Beach and in the dunes (which also includes Ravenmeols and Formby Point).