THE strong arm of the law is investigating the antics of a number of individuals who have been dropping their pants - and posting their pictures on social media!

But as they say, if you can't beam 'em, join 'em and far from arresting them for indecent exposure, Oldham officers Sergeant Danny Atherton and PC Damieon Hartley-Pickles have also been spotted with their trousers around their ankles.

Luckily it's all for a good cause and the bobbies brandishing their boxers are supporting Dr Kershaw's during a north west wide campaign to raise awareness of testicular cancer and promote donating more men's clothing to their charity shops.

Sgt Atherton who sported "Iron Man" pants for the cheeky challenge, said: “We are very proud to support good causes and we got permission from senior officers to take part in uniform.

“The hospice’s five charity shops do great work in the borough and if us having a bit of fun makes more men send their clothing donations to the shops then it has been worthwhile.”

They're joined by epic adventurer St Joseph's primary deputy head and Kershaw's supporter Steve Hill, Dr Kershaw's acting business development manager David Whaley and facilities manager Paul Barnes who kicked off the kecks-down campaign.

The idea is participants drop their pants and then challenge three friends to do the same via social media to spread the word and awareness over the importance of getting abnormalities checked out and getting more men into Dr Kershaw's charity shops.

The Drop Your Pants awareness campaign started at Pendleside Hospice in 2017 and this year has rolled out to Dr Kershaw’s along with Woodlands Hospice in Liverpool, St Mary’s Hospice in Ulverston, East Lancashire Hospice in Blackburn, Eden Valley Hospice in Carlisle and Willowbrook Hospice in St Helen’s.

The hospices have agreed to use the original artwork and campaign message to encourage men into their retail outlets as donors and shoppers.

Catherine Argyle, Pendleside Area Retail Manager said: “The majority of people who come into our stores to shop and donate clothes are female. Hospice retailers all find the same trend, and so with the success of our campaign we felt a collaborative campaign could be of great benefit. It is the first time that hospice retailers have worked together in this way and it is really good to be sharing ideas and work with other hospices.

“The idea behind the campaign was to raise awareness of the need for items of men’s clothing and also to encourage them to come along and shop in our stores. We know that men support the work of the hospice but we still have a real lack of clothing donations coming from men.”

Lisa Pearson, income generation manager at Dr Kershaw’s Hospice said, “Drop your pants is a fun strapline with a serious message - "Testicular Cancer is no Joke" and we hope that by drawing attention to our shops, and thereby to the work we do, we can engage with more men in our community and encourage men of all ages to step into our shops to donate, shop, or hopefully both.”

You can take up the challenge by posting a video on social media linking your post to @kershawshospice and using the hashtags #TCisNoJoke and #DropYourPants4Kershaws.