Councillor Brian Coleman got some funny looks last week when he visited Scratchwood nature reserve - a well-known site for dogging, the practice of meeting strangers in a public place for sex.

Mr Coleman, Barnet's cabinet member for community safety, was visiting in his professional capacity - accompanied by a uniformed female police officer - to research the illicit goings-on at the car park, just off the A1 near Stirling Corner.

Mr Coleman told Between the Lines that he was very disappointed not to have witnessed any 'action'.

"I didn't get to see any sex. I was a bit miffed as I thought we'd at least see something," he joked. He added that he got some funny looks when he stepped out of the car with the policewoman. "There were lots of cars scattered about and people were peering at us through their windows which was fairly unsettling," he added.