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Another feature on After Dark and Dogging Rachel

Many people have heard of dogging, or know places where it apparently happens, but very few know what goes on in this secretive world. Dogging Tales, is an intimate and compelling documentary told through doggers themselves, who share their experiences of a mysterious, little understood neck of the woods.

Filmed over ten months, the documentary follows a range of people whilst attempting to gain insight into why men and women engage in or watch sexual activity in front of strangers in public areas under the cover of darkness.

Part of the True Stories strand, showcasing the best of feature length documentaries, Dogging Tales is directed by award-winning photographer Leo Maguire – who made his critically-acclaimed debut in 2012 with Gypsy Blood: True Stories (Best Newcomer at Grierson Awards, Bafta-nominated for Photography).

The first interviews with doggers take place in the ‘real world’ – as their day draws to a close and they consider their life, families and relationships. As they prepare to go out they begin to slowly shed their daily personas in anticipation, and Maguire accompanies them on excursions to lay-bys, woods and picnic spots around the UK that often double as dogging locations after dusk.

Going beyond the ‘caught in the act’ image often portrayed in the media, the documentary delves into the physical and psychological realm of dogging. The characters allow themselves to be filmed during their sexual encounters but, in subtle yet revealing interviews, they also open up about their attraction to dogging: how they were introduced to it; why they may feel a lack of fulfilment without it and how their relationships are enhanced or damaged by it. Not just about sex or fetishistic behaviour, this is a human story about alter egos, connections and acceptance.

Next on Channel 4 Thu 04 Apr, 10PM

Giving new meaning to the term “flash mob,” the British have invented a new sex craze called “dogging” that mixes sex, exhibitionism, mobs and the Internet.

Dogging combines technology with swinging, cruising and voyeurism. To wit: Crowds big and small watch exhibitionist couples who’ve met on the Net have sex in cars, and sometimes join in.

“Dogging is the broad term used to cover all the sexual outdoor activities that go on,” says the dogging FAQ at After Dark UK Swingers, a popular dogging site. “This can be anything from putting on a show from your car, to a gangbang on a picnic table.”

Dogging appears to be popular and widespread, attracting heterosexual couples and single men and women of all ages, income brackets and backgrounds. Not surprisingly, however, dogging meets tend to attract more men than women.

Dogging is most often practiced in cars at rural parks, lover’s lanes and superstore parking lots. The term dogging has a number of suggested origins, but it probably refers to the “walking the dog” excuse proffered to spouses for an evening’s absence.

Dogging sessions are usually organized through the dozens of dogging sites and message boards that have sprung up in the last couple of years. Photos are exchanged and meetings arranged by e-mail or mobile phone text message.

At the meet, cell phones and text messages are used to confirm meeting places and, crucially, identities. Cameras and videophones are increasingly used to record what goes on.

“Technology is vital and is the main driver (of the dogging phenomenon),” said Richard Byrne, a lecturer at Harper Adams University College in the United Kingdom who produced a survey (PDF) last year that found dogging to be a widespread and growing problem in Britain’s country parks.

Dogging is so prevalent, 60 percent of U.K. country parks are affected by it, Byrne’s report estimated.

A wooded area close to the A38 in Gloucestershire advertised as an area “to meet and have sex” is being monitored by police and council staff.

Tewkesbury Borough Council said activities on Brockeridge Common were causing concern to local residents and creating a litter problem.

A spokesman said it was speaking to the landowner to make the area more visible in an attempt to deter “dogging”.

He added residents were being asked to let police know of any incidents.

The council spokesman said the area had been advertised on websites and people were parking at the lay-by by Brockeridge Common before jumping over a fence into woodland.

Legally, the issue of dogging is a grey area as those taking part are committing no offence unless they are witnessed by a member of the public who can be defined as “outraged” in the eyes of the law.

BIRDWATCHERS have been locked out of a car park at an RSPB beauty spot due to  the activities of doggers.

Gates have been shut at the Highnam reserve on the A40, seven years after the  hide was shut because of people cruising the area day and night for sex.

“We have just had enough,” said RSPB spokesman Tony Whitehead. “It’s a  terrible shame and it’s a last resort. It’s done with heavy heart but while it  remains a target for people who engage in this inappropriate behaviour, we have  no option.”

RSPB staff have had to check the site at odd hours and remove items,  including used condoms, while some members of the public have been confronted  with people having sex in broad daylight. Complaints about the activities have  been received regularly by the RSPB. The bird charity was considering removing  some vegetation but that would have meant changing the habitat of the area, so  it was ruled out.

The reserve is still accessible by bicycle or on foot but virtually all of  its visitors arrive by car.

The RSPB will open the car park for pre-arranged visits and will be running events throughout the year.

Police spokesman Chris Jackson said: “This was the RSPB’s decision and  follows 18 months of multi-agency work to try and resolve the issues in the  area.

“We have consulted with independent advisers, charities and local councillors  to try and improve the situation and understand the decision that has now been  taken by the landowners.

“While we had regular patrols prior to the closure, this measure has now  resolved the issue at the site. While we have found evidence of sexual activity  at the site there have not been any prosecutions in connection with the issue.  We are aware of the effect this has on the staff who work there and the general  public in the area.”

A NEW incentive has been launched allowing Puttenham Parish Council to manage an area of the Hog’s Back known as a notorious public sex site.

Surrey County Council has handed over responsibilty of the land between the A31 and the village to the parish council, along with a £25,000 endowment to help the small authority maintain the site.

Members of the parish council have led the initiative, as they thought the Puttenham community was better placed to respond to local issues than the county council.

Richard Griggs, Puttenham parish councillor, said: “We will now be able to manage this area of land and ensure that the local community can enjoy use of it once again.”

Tony Rooth, leader of Guildford Borough Council, and representative for the Pilgrims ward which includes Puttenham, said it was a very positive move.

“The sexual activity, including dogging, has been quite prevalent at the Hog’s Back lay-by for several years now, and it has clearly presented an increasing problem to the young children at the school in the village and their parents,” Cllr Rooth added.

“There was a lot of public reaction and local concern, which I was very much in support of as borough councillor and as my time as county councillor.”

Cllr Rooth said the county council had tried to get the lay-by closed and restrict access by shutting it at night and early in the morning, but allowing the cafe that operates on the site to remain open.

“But that was not going to work,” he added.

“The local people now have the power and the responsibilty to deal with the local situation.

“I’m hopeful that this will bring an end to the real concerns for parents that their children at the village school may be affected by sexual activities which should not be anywhere near the village.

People gathering for sex in lay-bys along a main road in East Yorkshire are being given warning leaflets by police.

Officers have been monitoring the area along the A165 near Coniston after complaints about so-called “dogging”.

Humberside Police said 18 people had been spoken to in one month. Some were found half-dressed, but claimed to be there for “legitimate reasons”.

Hedges have been cut down to deter would-be participants.

The force said it was responding to concerns expressed by residents in the small village of Coniston, which is outside Hull.

Although the area is rural, there are a number of houses near to where the leaflets have been issued on the A165, which runs between Hull and Bridlington.

The force told residents their investigations had discovered a number of people at the sites.

A FOOTPATH by a police station, fields next to an historic abbey and a famous Midland beauty spot are all on a list of sites where strangers meet for sex in front of seedy spectators.

The kinky practice – know as ‘dogging’ – involves adventurous couples performing sex acts in cars or in secluded areas while others watch.

The activity falls through a legal loophole – because it is not an offence to have sex in public unless it is witnessed by someone who is “outraged” by the goings-on.

That ‘get out of jail’ card means police forces and red-faced councils trying to crack down on the bawdy behaviour have had little success.

Sunday Mercury researchers have found hundreds of dogging sex sites spread across the Midlands, some of them in remarkable places.

They include a footpath between Homer Road and Prince’s Way in the centre of affluent Solihull, West Midlands – right next to the town’s POLICE STATION.

According to one dogging website, here there is a “small area to one side of the path which couples use, a classic dogging spot”.

In Gloucestershire, raunchy ramblers are getting their kicks in view of Tewkesbury’s 12th-century Benedictine abbey.

“On the vineyards behind the abbey,” suggest users of the site. “This is a quiet scenic location near the beautiful historic abbey. All types of doggers are present – single males and females, couples, gays, transvestites and transsexuals.”

In Staffordshire, naughty nights out continue on the picturesque Cannock Chase.

The beauty spot was made infamous by former Aston Villa star Stan Collymore who admitted visiting the area a dozen times seeking strangers for sex back in 2004.

“The best place to go is Cannock Chase,” reads the website. “There’s good mid-morning and afternoon activity with couples dogging.”

The authorities in Cannock say they know of the dodgy use of the popular nature spot and have had recent reports from worried residents.

A Staffordshire Police spokesman said: “We have responded to some recent concerns from local people about inappropriate sexual behaviour in the Cannock Chase area.

“However, there hasn’t been a significant increase in complaints about these incidents in recent years, and reports to the police about such activity remain very rare in Staffordshire.

“Our approach has been based on engaging with the community and those who use the area to highlight these concerns.

“This has included giving out leaflets in areas where activity is reported and sending letters to owners of vehicles seen for a second time.”

A Cannock Chase Council spokesman added: “It is not something we could comment on.

“It is a source of embarrassment to the area, to be honest.”

The doggers either arrange to meet online or simply turn up hoping to find some action.

But according to posts on one website  www.doggingafterdark.com – which claims to have hundreds of members online at any time – a successful encounter is sometimes tricky.

A man who uses Cannock Chase writes: “I’m a young lad in a Fiesta so all the other doggers think I’m a boy racer.

“But I’m not. I’m 21 and just looking for people to have some fun with.”

A woman says: “I have no problem talking to people on the website but when I’m actually out, sat in a car park or something, how do I kick-start things when I’m on my own?

“I’m hesitant to start stuff. They’re hesitant to come over in case I’m just having lunch or something. It’s difficult.”

A helpful poster replies: “Try opening the door and just letting a bit more leg than usual show. If anyone seems interested, let your skirt ride up a bit higher. That should give them the encouragement they need.”

See Dogging Rachel in the Sunday Sport Today, Page 23!!

www.rachelreveals.co.uk

People meeting up for “dogging” are preventing children from visiting a nature spot, it has been claimed.

They are gathering in sand dunes at Seacroft Marsh in Skegness and surprising visitors, according to Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

Dave Miller, a coastal ranger for the trust, said he is loath to take children to the Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

He wants help from the public to monitor the extent of the problem.

‘Unsavoury things’

A public meeting is being held at Gibraltar Point Visitor Centre at 19:00 GMT on Tuesday.

Mr Miller said: “In some areas it happens at night-time and out of the way and it’s not a problem but this is happening during the daytime.

“People do bump into people doing unsavoury things.

“If there’s a lady walking there with a couple of dogs, it’s not very nice.”

Seacroft Marsh is an extension of Gibraltar Point, which is designated as a National Nature Reserve.

Mr Miller said there had been problems for a number of years.

“It’s a fantastic area and I would like to use it more for education purposes and recreation, but at the moment you would be scared to do that because of the issues there.

“There are people around leaving not very nice litter. It’s not nice when a young child sees any of this stuff.”

Mr Miller wants people to report any unsavoury activity to the trust so he can build up a database of incidents and pass the information to the police.

“We may find it happens at certain times of the day,” he said.

“I’m hearing all these things anecdotally as I’m working but the police can’t do much about it unless they catch someone in the act.”