Thousands of people gathered on the Dorset coast to enjoy the sunny weather on Saturday.
Clear blue skies and wall-to-wall sunshine for the perfect conditions for beach lovers.
Many enjoyed a swim in the sea and got into ice cream to cool off.
Temperatures were forecast around 27 ºC and mercury will rise even more over the next few days.
In Bournemouth, there were parasols, sunbeds, and parasols as far as you could see.
Cheeky video @Bournemouthecho pic.twitter.com/o5iV6DFOMM
– Andrew Goldman (@AndrewDailyEcho) July 16, 2022
Despite being busy, there was still plenty of room in the sand.
Read more: How the influx of visitors to the beach will be treated this weekend
Dot, 77, of Gillingham, said: “We haven’t been to Bournemouth since before Covid.
“It’s lovely to come back, the best place to spend a summer weekend.”
Avon Beach in Christchurch, on the other hand, was quieter.
The UK Health Safety Agency has issued a red heat warning for the whole of England indicating that the hot weather is a “national emergency”.
Read more: “National emergency”: red heat alert issued by heat wave
It reaches level four “when a heat wave is so severe and / or prolonged that its effects extend outside the health and social system … At this level, illness and death can occur between people in shape and healthy, and not just in high-risk groups, ”he said.
An amber “extreme heat” weather alert issued by the Met office will be in effect for Bournemouth, Christchurch, Poole and the rest of Dorset between 12 noon on Sunday and 11:59 pm on Tuesday.
Read more: Heatwave: What You Need to Know If You Live in Dorset
Elsewhere, there will be a red weather alert in parts of the country, such as London, Oxford, Essex, Birmingham, Nottingham, Manchester, Stoke on Trent and York.
This is the first time the Met Office has issued a red warning for extreme heat.