WEARING nothing but their safety helmets, scores of cyclists took to the streets of Southampton for the third annual Naked Bike Ride.

To the amazement of unsuspecting passersby, around 150 brave activists stripped off for the protest ride, campaigning about our car culture and dependency on oil.

With many sporting little more than colourful slogans and pictures, the riders also aimed to highlight the vulnerability of cyclists on the roads.

The ride started and finished at Southampton Common, but left a trail of bemused and amused onlookers in their wake on a six-mile course through Portswood and the city centre.

Organiser Rob Jordan told the Daily Echo: “It’s a protest and a demonstration, but a joyous one, and we generally find that people give us a really warm reception.”