Diners at a pub were left ‘speechless’ when a naked couple walked in and ordered a meal in front of ‘concerned’ families.
Punters at The Railway in Burnham-on-Sea were ‘shocked’ when a pair of naturists sat down to enjoy their dinner at the Somerset pub on Friday evening.
Neil Cox, 34, and Danielle Quiggan, 35, had stopped off while en route to Cornwall for a break, having enjoyed a nude drink in another pub the previous night in Bristol.
Owners later defended their decision to serve the two friends, stating the establishment prided itself on ‘inclusivity and welcome everyone’s individuality and differences.’
But some diners were less than impressed and left negative reviews on TripAdvisor, claiming they had no choice but to leave after staff continued to serve them.
It is not an offence in itself to be naked in public in England and Wales, unless it can be proven a person took their clothes off to upset or shock other people.
Many naturists will restrict their activities to specially designated areas with traditions of naked activity, such as nudist beaches.
Mr Cox and Ms Quiggan previously had a nude drink in a pub in Bristol and walked naked through the city’s Clifton Downs park and Harbourside area, before stopping in nearby Burnham-on-Sea for a meal on June 2.
They claimed to have felt ‘very comfortable in Bristol’ but ‘less comfortable’ in the Somerset pub, after a barrage of negative reviews were posted on TripAdvisor.
Having contacted the pub ahead of calling in, the pair were soon seated by staff ‘in the corner’ of the establishment.
Yet following their visit to the ‘family run’ pub, a number of patrons took to the review website Tripadvisor with complaints about the duo and their meal.
Mr Cox, who previously did a 1,000-mile naked cycle last year for charity, said he found the negative reviews ‘deeply saddening’.
He claimed to have made over 500 visits to ‘shops, bars, and other businesses’ while in the nude, without experiencing any negative responses previously.
He also claimed most of the other customers simply got back to their drinks, while a few even asked them for pictures.
Staff defended their decision to serve the naturists as they claimed researched the rules on naturism and accepted the booking, describing it as a ‘learning experience’.
Margaret Lishmund, who was in the pub when the couple arrived, quickly decided to find somewhere else for dinner.
Posting on the review site she wrote: ‘We visited the pub this evening at 6pm to have dinner.
‘Whilst ordering drinks a couple walked up to the bar naked which was a shock for all in the pub.
‘We expected the bar man to refuse to serve them. There were several families with children in the pub, including ourselves, therefore it was not appropriate for them to be served.
‘We decided to leave the pub and find somewhere else for dinner in town. Unfortunately another family were not able to as they had already ordered food. If you advertise as a family pub you should maintain these values.
‘Locals who frequent the pub apologised to us, but the staff seemed to think this was okay. Very disappointing,’ she concluded.
One customer called Sarah had taken her parents to the pub on Friday night and said she was ‘outraged’ to see the pair in the bar.
A spokesperson for the Railway Inn said: ‘We have received both negative and positive comments which we have taken on board, however naturism is legal within the UK and we pride ourselves on inclusivity and welcome everyone’s individuality and differences.’
