A 57-year-old man has been fined for sunbathing naked in Longford, on what he claims was the hottest day of the year.

Glen Wrather, who is originally from Leeds in England, appeared before a recent sitting of Longford District Court.

The court heard that Mr Wrather was sunbathing in a communal area of Thomond Court, an apartment complex in Ballymahon on July 6th last.

He told his solicitor Brid Mimnagh that it was 31 degrees on the day in question - one of the hottest days of the year so far.

The court heard that a woman who was putting clothes on her line had to pass him and saw he was sunbathing face down, naked and became upset.

She contacted her husband and he arrived around 3.30pm in the afternoon and found Mr Wrather sunbathing on his back and reprimanded him.

Ms Mimnagh said her client had been wearing swimming trunks, which he has inadvertently removed, and that there was no one around at the time.

She told the court he had been a naturist for 25 years.

Judge Seamus Hughes said that this was not Victorian Ireland and that he was not particularly shocked at the incident.

However he told Mr Wrather, who was charged with exposing himself, that he had to appreciate that he could not do what he wanted to do in public places.

The judge imposed a fine of €200 to be paid within two months.