Drive-Up Orgies in England

"I went out for a burger with a friend last night and found myself in the middle of a clandestine sex gathering. I guess it had been an exciting experience, but I couldn't help feeling like an impostor. A voyeur of voyeurs."

This is Local London - These men are cruising for sex. For this unobtrusive car park on the edge of Edgware is one of London's top sites for 'dogging' - a fad in which people watch other people having sex in cars. It is also a popular haunt with gay men looking for casual encounters.

There are lots of different types of cars - a sporty red convertible, a four-wheel drive and an expensive-looking saloon are just some of the vehicles in the car park.

According to the web site Swinging Heaven, dogging is predominantly a British activity. It says the term originated in the 1970s to describe men who spied on couples having sex, 'dogging' their every move.

Today, some couples encourage the voyeurs to watch and, in some cases, join in their lovemaking. According to the web site, the signal for voyeurs to move in on a car in which a couple are about to have sex is a flash of the car's interior lights.

Academics have said that text messages and the internet have fuelled such activities, making it easier for people to get information and arrange meetings. Some of the web sites have thousands of members.

BBC - More than 20,000 people are registered with one UK "dogging" newsgroup.

Dogging is an extension of "swinging" parties - and involves exhibitionist sex in semi-secluded locations such as car parks or country parks.

The location of dogging "events" is now frequently advertised on websites or communicated via mobile phone text message.

Those attracted by these messages may simply act as voyeurs - or be invited to participate.

"There are concerns that prostitutes will be drawn to areas where dogging is common, and that other types of crime will increase."

He said that, in country parks at least, changes to the design of car parks might help curb their use as venues.

However, he added: "You can't simply increase the amount of lighting - that just makes it easier to make videos or take pictures."

Dogging: public sex. Dogging is an extension of “swinging” parties - and involves exhibitionist sex in semi-secluded locations such as car parks or country parks.

"I pulled into a small, secluded car park opposite an old fort to turn around. There, among the trees and hedgerows, was a flash crowd.

"Groups of people were standing around talking in hushed tones. Vehicles were parked in rows with the headlights out. Here and there, a car's interior lights revealed activity. I cut my engine and looked at my friend. "Is this what I think it is?" she asked. "Only one way to find out." I replied. As we surveyed the scene, other cars arrived. By some unspoken agreement, only parking lights were used for driving. Within minutes, the car park was crowded.

"I remembered reading something about 'dogging' etiquette. Flashing interior or tail lights is an invitation to watch. A big bloke in a bomber jacket walked by our car, peering in. I quickly turned off the ignition to kill the dashboard lights and yanked my mobile from its cradle. I thanked my lucky stars that I'd had my windows tinted. We looked around in disbelief. In the car right next to us, a woman was going down on her partner while another man reached through the passenger window to 'help'. Voyeurs looked on in
silence. We watched the voyeurs."

el - more organized and crowded lover's lanes or another sign of the end times?