Police say they will be increasing patrols at a popular beach near Hastings after a naked man was seen performing an indecent act on himself.

Officers were called to the incident at Ocean Beach about 1pm on Wednesday.

Police were attempting to find the person responsible, and were asking anyone who witnessed the incident or who had information to contact them on 105 and using the reference number 251106/9463.

A police spokesperson said members of the public could be charged if their actions were deemed indecent or offensive in a public place like a beach.

In November last year, a then 21-year-old woman claimed a naked older man approached her on the beach while holding his genitals.

The woman said police who arrived at the scene initially told her they could not arrest the man because of an unofficial naturist area 400m north of the surf club at Ocean Beach.

A spokesperson for the Hastings District Council said there were no nudist beaches in the district, including Ocean Beach.

Council bylaws specify that a person must not appear nude or insufficiently dressed on a beach, except for a beach the council has designated as a “clothing optional” by publicly notified resolution.

Jack Riddell is a multimedia journalist with Hawke’s Bay Today and has worked in radio and media in the UK, Germany, and New Zealand.