UK beaches inundated with public holiday excursions

Brits have flocked to beaches and parks on Monday’s public holiday, which could be the hottest day of the year.

People from across the UK made their way to the beach as the sun set for the third consecutive day of the holiday.

The photographs show groups having fun on the sand and in the sea.

Thanet’s Kent Council has warned people the beaches could become overcrowded and urged visitors to turn back to Broadstairs, Margate and Ramsgate, saying, “We’re not back to normal yet.”

Similarly, Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) reported “long delays” heading north from Greater Manchester to Blackpool and the M55, with delays of up to 40 minutes on the M6 ​​and M61.

“If you are planning to go to the coast today, please consider rerouting or delaying your trip to avoid congestion,” TfGM said.

Bournemouth Beach in Dorset seemed crowded, with hundreds of socially distant groups enjoying the weather.

Similar scenes could be seen on Boscombe Beach in Dorset, with plenty of shelter under umbrellas from the scorching sun.

Paddlers set sail on Portobello Beach near Edinburgh.

On New Brighton Beach in Wirral, Merseyside, children’s ice sculptures have been created to highlight climate change.

The 26 sculptures, which will be washed away, were created with a 120m sand drawing by artists from Sand In Your Eye.

As part of the installation, designed to highlight the significance of the Cop26 world climate conference, 26 children and their families stood alongside ice sculptures holding plaques showing the names of world leaders.

The Met Office predicted temperatures could reach 25C on Monday, beating the 2021 high of 24.5C set at Kew Gardens on March 30.

Temperatures in the rest of the UK are expected to be at least in the low 20s, even in northern Scotland.

“The only exception is along the east coast – there is a lot of low cloud, fog and fog in areas of the east coast and it will stay for the next few days, so highs between 12C (53, 6F) and 16C (60.8 F) there – much lower than elsewhere, ”said Becky Mitchell, Met Office meteorologist.

Ms Mitchell warned the lush weather could be followed by thunderstorms.

“There will potentially be thunderstorms in the middle of the week – the first episode of showers will arrive in parts of the southwest and there will be a few thunderstorms in there,” she said.

The Met Office previously warned that levels of harmful UV rays would be very high over the next few days and advised people to wear plenty of sunscreen.