In pictures: UK heatwave continues ahead of 'hottest day of the year'

Andy Wells

·Freelance Writer

Updated 24 June 2020 at 3:54 am

Thousands of people visit the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset.

People enter the waters on a beach in Margate, Kent, as temperatures rose to the high 20s.

A notice on the beach in Margate, Kent, urges people not leave any litter behind.

Visitors pass a lone zebra as they make their way through West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley.

Early risers take pictures of the sunrise at 4.27am at Tynemouth Pier on the North East coast.

People flock to the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset, to make the most of the June heatwave.

The sun sets in Chesterton, Warwickshire, as Britain braces for a June heatwave.

People play beach volleyball on Boscombe beach as temperatures rocket across the UK.

A couple relax outside their beach hut on the beach in Bournemouth, Dorset.

People enjoy the sea in Margate, Kent, as they cool off from soaring temperatures.

People walk around the sea pool in Margate, Kent.

Members of the public enjoy the sun on the River Wey, Guildford, Surrey.

People relax in London's Leicester Square as lockdown restrictions start to ease. (Getty)

A social distancing sign on Bournemouth pier as people visit Bournemouth beach.

A boat on the River Ouse in York, Yorkshire, provides a picture-perfect English summer scene.

Brits are making the most of the June heatwave by basking in the sunshine – as temperatures are set to climb into the mid-30s.

Thursday could see the hottest day of the year recorded as the mercury climbs towards the 34 degrees mark in the south of the UK.

However, the record for the hottest June day ever looks set to remain in tact, as temperatures will not quite reach the 35.6c seen in 1976.

The hottest day of the year so far was 28.9 degrees, which was recorded in Scotland’s border region in May.

Temperatures on Tuesday reached the high 20s, sending sun worshippers to Britain’s beaches as a welcome respite from the coronavirus lockdown.

However, with the dry and sunny weather expected and the government's COVID-19 alert level lowered to 3, emergency services across the country are urging people to continue to respect the two-metre social-distancing restriction.