A police officer in the northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia reportedly faces a fine and having to pay damages to a nudist he forced to cover up.

The officer appeared in a Barcelona court after telling Jacint Ribas Deix, chairman of the Association for the Defence of the Right to Nudism, he had to cover up while the latter was riding a bicycle in his birthday suit through the city, the Europa Press news agency reported.

Ribas made a complaint to the town hall before launching legal action and his lawyer Benet Salellas took up the case.

Salellas is calling for a 600-euro (750-dollar) fine and the same amount in damages for his client following the incident, which occurred in mid-2005.

According to Ribas, who Spanish media said had clocked up more than 12,000 kilometres (8,000 miles) riding in the buff, the officer told him: "You can't go around like that."

He reluctantly got dressed, fearing "he was going to put me in jail if I didn't."

Ribas, who accused the officer of "abusing his authority," has chaired the nudist association for 10 years and once wrote to the Catalan regional parliament to complain of similar incidents involving other nudists.

On that occasion he pointed out local by-laws stipulated that nudism is not illegal in certain delineated zones of the city and he wanted to underline his "democratic" right to go clothes-free.

Salellas said 1997 legislation backed up his client.

"There is no law or legal precept allowing the policeman to stop Ribas from going around in the nude through the streets of Barcelona," Ribas' counsel said.

"As such, (the officer's) action was clearly illegal."