SUSANNE Koch was wearing nothing but a friendly smile as she defended the merits of nude sunbathing on eastern German beaches.

"I grew up being naked at the beach and it’s the only way to spend the summer here," said Koch, 31, a blonde with a seamless tan who works at a watch making firm.

Nowhere has the tradition of nude sunbathing, or the Free Body Culture as it’s known in Germany, been more prevalent than on the beaches of eastern Germany. In the heyday before the Berlin Wall fell, East German beaches were dominated by nude bathers.

But in the 15 years since, the naked sunbathers have been pushed off the main beaches in resorts like Warnemuende as local hotels and businesses have taken action to make western Germans who complain about too much nudity feel more comfortable.

"Western tourists are ruining the atmosphere," said Koch. "The tensions are unfortunate. They don’t know what they’re missing. It’s a shame they are so intolerant."

Yet the signs in the resort town 240 km north of Berlin that separate the two groups are frequently ignored. The tension between those with clothing and those without is obvious. Local newspapers have said some angry westerners have gone so far as to hurl sand at nudists to chase them from their sections.