Monaco nudists fear losing beach

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MONACO, July 21 (UPI) -- Nudists in Monaco fear the city-state plans to drive them away from a beach where unclothed bathing has been tolerated for many years.

Bathing-suit wearers have become more common on the section of Pradet Beach where the unclothed traditionally gather, The Local.fr reported. The city council has also refused to make the nude beach official.

"In the long term, we are afraid that the council will try and close the beach," said a member of Mer et Soleil du Monaco, the local nudist group, told the daily newspaper Var Matin.

The newspaper said the council is afraid of angering beach-front residents who do not like views that include unclothed human bodies.

Mer et Soleil has also been pushing for an end to parking charges for the beach. Deputy Mayor Nicole Vacca said the fees pay for security guards who, among other things, prevent "possible excesses," a term the official did not define.