It is believed seven people have stripped on the plinth so far Press Association

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SECURITY has been stepped up in Trafalgar Square after a naked man armed with a live chicken threw himself from the fourth plinth in a bizarre stunt.

The bearded exhibitionist spent most of his hour on the plinth sat naked with his head in his hands after stripping off the green Spiderman-style suit he wore onto the controversial platform.

He also threw inflatable sex dolls and a crocodile at bemused bystanders yesterday before jumping off the main platform into a safety net which surrounds the area.

The fourth plinth is being occupied 24 hours-a-day by members of the public for 100 days as part of an art project called One And Other, created by artist Antony Gormley.

"The person took a chicken on to the plinth which was concealed. When he got off, the chicken was retrieved by the security staff and it was unharmed"

A project spokeswoman said: "The person took a chicken on to the plinth which was concealed. When he got off, the chicken was retrieved by the security staff and it was unharmed.

"Everyone was laughing. There was quite a lot of hilarity but I don't think there was any particular problem."

The man is believed to be the seventh person to strip on the plinth.

On Sunday Justin Holwell, 24, from Leicestershire, posed naked for an hour, saying: "I was expressing my personality, and I would definitely do it again.

"It's the human form, every one's the same, it's not like I'm showing off something that no one else has got.

"It was an art exhibition. If you went into any art gallery you would see nude portraits and nude statues."

But his stunt prompted one member of the public to complain to the Metropolitan Police, saying it had offended his wife and children but that officers did nothing.

Scotland Yard is investigating his complaint but a spokesman said it was not an offence to be naked in public unless it was in a lewd or obscene manner.