In reply to Bruno Beloff's comments about the naked bike ride (Letters, June 14), he seems to have a very strange understanding of our laws.

British law is made up of both Common Law and Statute Law.

Common Law is that which has been regarded as law in the land since time immemorial.

Statute Law is made by Act of Parliament or Statute.

The Queen's Peace at Common Law is defined as the normal state of society. Any interruption of that peace and good order is a breach of the peace.

All citizens have a duty to uphold the Queen's Peace and apprehend offenders against the peace.

Cycling starkers through the town is not the normal state of society.

Although there is no Act of Parliament to make it illegal, it is certainly the common-law crime of breach of the peace.

Instead of criticising Chief Superintendent Paine for ordering the cyclists to act with a sense of decency, Mr Beloff should be grateful he did not order the arrest of the whole lot of them for breach of the peace.

Chief Supt Paine should be commended for handling the situation to allow the demonstration to go ahead so as to cause the least offence to the rest of us, more normal, members of the public.

Mr Beloff may also like to reflect that those of us who had the misfortune to witness that pathetic demonstration could also be charged with common-law offences for failing to exercise our citizens' powers of arrest to apprehend offenders against the Queen's Peace.

-Stuart Bower, Upper Beeding