Nottinghamshire outdoor sex 'may lead to closure'
Nottinghamshire Police are considering sealing off several plots of Forestry Commission land at night where anti-social behaviour is a problem.
It was one of the measures discussed to tackle the problem of litter left after people engage in sexual activities.
The move comes after Conservative MP for Sherwood Mark Spencer called in the House of Commons for woods to be used "for the right purposes".
An action group was set up to look at the problem last spring.
Ch Supt David Wakelin said: "It's a problem all across the country, Nottinghamshire has got a particular issue with it as we've got a lot of woods.
"Indecent exposure and gross indecency acts are illegal. We do get very few complaints about the exposure, what we do get complaints about is the associated litter and paraphernalia that is left behind.
"It is a problem that we will always have to keep policing.
"What we do need is local people to keep us informed with where the problems are, what they are finding in the woods so we can take specific action on specific parts of the countryside."
'Relatively small issue'
Mr Spencer said: "If you go for a walk in the woods with your children you don't really want to be coming across that sort of stuff.
"If you want to engage in that sort of activity do it in the privilege of your own home, not in public places where we want to walk dogs, ride horses and cycle."
Nottinghamshire Police said it was working with Mr Spencer, Newark and Sherwood District Council and the Forestry Commission to come up with a solution.
The Forestry Commission's Jo Atkinson added: "To put it in perspective we have a quarter-of-a-million people using the woods.
"This is a relatively small issue, the vast majority are having a great time in the woods."