Topless in Provence face fines

British tourists who go topless in France this summer risk being fined as cities bring in regulations designed to protect public decency. Perpignan, near the Spanish border in the Pyrénées-Orientales department, has become the latest city to introduce new regulations to ban bare chests.

Such sanctions are not uncommon in seaside resorts – Cote D’Azur locations such as Cannes and St Tropez have long enforced a ban on shirtless men and women wearing bikinis, if they are walking around the town rather than lying on the beach.

“This is one of the key principles of public life, which has been a little forgotten,” commented Jean-Marc Pujol, the city’s mayor. “This is about education. People have the freedom to wear what they want, but respect for others is also important.”