A mystery man attracted plenty of rubber-neckers when he took a casual stroll around Braintree town centre dressed in a tight fitting gimp suit.

The self-styled Gimp Man of Essex asks people to take pictures of him wearing the kinky outfit and then donates £1 to mental health charity MIND for every snap posted on social media.

Ian McAllister, 24, of Great Leighs, posed for a selfie and said: “At first I was taken by surprise and a little intimidated but after speaking to him I thought he was a great guy.”

The Gimp Man, who refuses to reveal his true identity, said he raised about £200 last year walking around Essex towns including Chelmsford, Southend and Colchester.

He said: “It is for charity and it’s a bit of fun, it probably seems a bit strange to some people but the longer it goes on the better the reaction.

“I won’t go out when the schools are on holiday. My theory is if you go out when the kids are at school then the only kids you see are in push chairs and they just laugh.”

The fundraiser admits he can only spend so long in the suit: “An hour and a bit is it really, you’ve got to be careful you don’t dehydrate.”

As for getting in and out of the costume: “A bottle of talcum powder does last a while, you only want a good sprinkle and you slide in and out.”

The Gimp Man’s Just Giving page is at justgiving.com/Thegimpmanofessex/.