Hundreds of swingers are enjoying a four-day sex festival in England - despite the country's continued battle against COVID-19.
Drone images obtained by local media show hundreds of swingers arriving on Friday (local time) at Swingathon, a four-day festival situated in fields near the town of Grantham in Lincolnshire county.
Kinky couples paid £200 (NZ$393) to attend the adult-only affair, which includes an 'adult' bouncy castle, wet T-shirt contests and a mobile dungeon, according to Metro.
Guests are also able to participate in fetish demos, such as BDSM, the outlet reported, and have the unique opportunity to be crowned Miss or Mr Swingathon.
Attendees were reportedly required to take a lateral flow test 48 hours prior to their arrival as the UK grapples to control an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. According to the government's latest data, the UK recorded 24,248 cases of the virus on Sunday, with 173,662 people testing positive in the last seven days - up by 66.9 percent from the previous week.
But despite organisers claiming on its website that the festival will follow public health guidelines, one attendee told Metro that social distancing is not enforced. Washing facilities are also limited, he added, but said he was unconcerned about potential transmission due to the required pre-attendance test.
Current public health measures in the UK require all outdoor events to be capped at 30 guests.
A spokesperson for North Kesteven District Council told Metro a licence application was correctly issued, for a bar and regulated entertainment up to 11pm in association with what was described as "private camping for a private camping club".
"So long as the event is conducted within the restrictions of the Temporary Event Notice in place, and in a lawful manner, there is nothing more for the Council to do in respect of this event," they told the outlet. "Ultimately the event organiser is responsible for ensuring the event is compliant and runs safely."
The festival is only open to people who have three personal verifications on their Fabswingers profile, a website that uses a verification system to ensure its users are genuine swingers.
The location of the festival was reportedly only revealed when a ticket had been purchased.
On Sunday, the Grantham Journal reported that local police had been investigating several noise complaints in regards to the Swingathon event.
However, a Lincolnshire Police spokesperson told the Journal the department hasn't received any reports of COVID breaches.
