A FYLDE hotelier escaped a jail sentence after 'flashing' an undercover policeman at a notorious hot-spot for sex pests.

James Anthony Kean, 42, of Dale Street, appeared before Blackpool Magistrates on Monday, July 7, charged with public indecency offences.

Kean -- who has been a hotelier in the resort for six years -- was arrested on Thursday, July 3, after indecently exposing himself to a plain clothes male officer from Blackpool Police on sand dunes close to Pontin's at St Annes.

He pleaded guilty to disorderly behaviour and was fined £100, plus court costs of £60 over the incident.

The arrest comes after police launched an operation to deal with a rise in the number of indecent exposures and other obscene behaviour in the area in recent months.

A police spokesman said: "As a result of a large number of incidents in previous weeks, officers spent several hours over a two-day period patrolling this particular area.

"The dunes at St Annes are a well known spot for people of certain proclivities and hopefully this arrest will stand as a warning to others."