Nude sunbathers spooked by deer are rescued from forest - then fined $1,000 for breaking Covid restrictions

A police chief said "it's difficult to legislate against idiots" after two men broke Covid restrictions in Australia to sunbathe on a beach only to get lost in a forest - all while in the nude.

The pair called for help at around 6pm on Sunday after they lost their way in the Royal National Park south of Sydney, police said.

“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbathing naked on a beach on the South Coast,” Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told reporters.

“They were startled by a deer, ran into the national park… and got lost.”

The rescue involved police aircraft, the State Emergency Service and ambulance officers.

Australia is battling to contain several Covid-19 clusters around the country and Sydney has been locked down as a result.

Mr Fuller described the sunbathers as "idiots" for "diverting important resources away from the health operation".

The men, aged 30 and 49, were fined 1,000 Australian dollars (£545) each for breaching a stay-home pandemic order that restricted them to Sydney, police said.

The younger man was found “naked and carrying a backpack” while the older man was “partially clothed”, the police statement said.

"I think they should be embarrassed,” Mr Fuller added.

The temperature range on Sunday at Otford, the town nearest to where the men were lost, was 3C to 19C.

The pair were among 44 people fined by police on Sunday for breaching the public health order.

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