BIZARRE mobile phone footage of a young man dressed in just his pants being collared by police in Brentwood High Street has appeared on the internet.

The brief film shows a sallow-skinned, mop-haired male in a state of undress being quizzed by a pair of police officers near the Chapel Ruins while his friends, one of whom is wearing a red devil mask, look on.

The three-minute clip, which was filmed on New Year's Day, begins with a policeman asking where the man's clothes are.

One of his friends replies: "Uh, some other guy has got them – I don't know his name."

This answer does not go down well with the policeman, who says: "The thing is, right, he could get nicked for public order, right.

"He's running in front of cars so if he's sober I suggest you have a chat with him."

The exhibitionist, whose friends claim he is from Dagenham, is then handed a hooded jacket, which he puts on to cover his green trunks.

While he is doing this, another policeman gets out a note pad and begins to ask him for his details.

One of the man's friends then attempts to explain how the group came to be in the High Street.

"We've been out since New Year's Eve, mate," he tells the first police officer.

"We woke up thought we'd have a couple of beers and walk up the road – do you know what, I don't even know where my mate lives."

The policeman hits back: "We know it's in good spirits, right, but there are families still around and he's in his pants and he's running in front of cars."

The friend remonstrates and says that if his friend had been wearing short shorts then there would be no problem.

"That's not the point, it's behaviour though, isn't it?" the officer counters. "He's not walking down the road normally, is he? He's running in and out of the road causing harassment."

Then, as a mum and her daughter walk past, the friend somewhat sheepishly asks: "Did you see that?"

The policeman responds: "They're watching him on camera and we've just pulled up and seen him giving it all that in front of the cars.

"We don't want to be killjoys but he's got to be sensible about it."

The exhibitionist ultimately escapes with a warning, although he could have received a £60 fine for a public order offence.

The clip was uploaded onto the video sharing website YouTube on January 3 and can be viewed by searching under the heading "A day in Brentwood".

Are you the man wearing just his pants? Do you know him?

If so, call the Gazette on 01245 603 337 or e-mail chris.richards@gazettenews.co.uk