A man who claimed his trousers had been stolen when he walked into a London Underground station naked from the waist down has been jailed.

Christopher Dove, 39, attempted to talk to a member of staff before sitting on the floor of Piccadilly Circus station at 7.25am on May 25, British Transport Police (BTP) said.

Officers found Dove, from Strood, Kent, still sitting down with excrement smeared over the lower half of his body and the station floor.

When questioned about the incident he claimed his trousers had been taken and that he had entered the station to ask for help, a BTP spokesman said.

Dove was sentenced to four weeks' imprisonment, at Blackfriars Crown Court last week, after pleading guilty to outraging public indecency

He was also found guilty of breaching a community order made in April but no action was taken, police said.Pc Chris Oliver said: "This was an unpleasant case for officers to deal with. More importantly, Dove's actions were grossly offensive to members of staff and passengers at Piccadilly Circus station.

"Such behaviour will not be tolerated anywhere on the rail network and this case should serve to highlight our determination to deal with any cases of indecency."