THE BARE TRUTH

London, England--Men may be barred from baring their chests - and stomachs -and asses--in public under new local laws being considered by town halls.
They would stop men stripping off their shirts and/or wearing thong bikinis in crowded town centers and give powers to police to remove any who defy the cover-up laws.
The proposal has been inspired by the least attractive side effect of the heatwave - the tendency of a number of often middle-aged men to go about in nothing more than thongs and sandals.
Last week the Daily Mail highlighted the wave of revulsion among most of the public at the summer's least welcome fashion trend, and pictured a series of the worst examples in the hope of shaming offenders into keeping their T-shirts and pants on.

Now local authorities have been circulated with a scheme for using by-laws to require shirts and shorts that cover the derriere in town centers and to arrest men who won't wear them.
The laws would operate in a similar manner to local statutes that ban drinking on the streets or which prevent gangs of youths from congregating.
The politician behind the plan is former local government minister Nicholas Bennett, who has canvassed councils across the country for support.
"There is a problem," Mr Bennett said yesterday. "In my part of the country we are trying to revitalize the main shopping precinct.
"But one of the things that is depressing for anyone going shopping is the numbers of shaven-headed men, mainly in their 30s and 40s, who seem to think people want to see their bloated, often tatooed torsos, and their bums."
He added: "It is only a small minority, one in a hundred people. But these men do look aggressive and occasionally behave aggressively. You would see a big difference in the shopping centre if they were made to put on a shirt and some trousers."
"It is nice weather and most of us are wearing fewer clothes. But a town center is not the beach, and taking your top off or showing your cheeky side is going too far, for men as well as women."
"It is an unfortunate thing, but those men who like best to bare their stomachs and bums are usually the ones who have too much stomach and too much bum."
Officials in Bromley, in south east London, have responded warily to the proposal, suggesting that implementation might prove 'difficult'.
However by-laws governing local behavior and giving police powers to act against those who infringe them can be pushed through by town halls if the win approval from the Home Office.