Two naked sunbathers had to be rescued from an Australian forest after they were startled by a deer on a beach and became lost.

The men called for help at about 6pm on Sunday after they lost their way in the Royal National Park south of Sydney, police said.

“Unbelievably, we saw two men sunbathing naked on a beach on the South Coast,” Police Commissioner Mick Fuller told reporters. “They were startled by a deer, ran into the national… park and got lost.”

The rescue involved police aircraft, the State Emergency Service and ambulance officers.

The men, aged 30 and 49, were fined 1,000 Australian dollars (£545) each for breaching a stay-home pandemic order that restricted them to Sydney, police said.

The younger man was found “naked and carrying a backpack” while the older man was “partially clothed”, the police statement said.

Mr Fuller described the pair as “idiots”.

“Clearly putting people at risk by leaving home without a proper reason… then getting lost in the national park and diverting important resources away from the health operation, I think they should be embarrassed,” he added.

The pair were among 44 people fined by police on Sunday for breaching a public health order after Sydney began a two-week lockdown on Friday due to a new COVID-19 cluster.

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