THOUSANDS of people soaked up the sun on the first ‘hot’ day of the year.

Temperatures rose to 26 degrees in Bournemouth, and with the sun shining, people settled on the sand to enjoy the weather.

As a result of the heat, ice cream sellers along the seafront were enjoying a roaring trade.

Ice cream seller Rushi said the day had been ‘a bit busy’ with the sun and heat bringing people to the beach.

Rushi has been on shift since 11am this morning and said: “It’s really good, a lot of people here enjoying [the sun].”

(Image: Newsquest)

Rushi said classic flavours vanilla and chocolate were the ice creams of choice, with cookies and cream another firm favourite.

Linda Moore and Emily Odell travelled to Bournemouth from Southampton and the New Forest with their young families.

“We’ve come down because it’s such a beautiful day and obviously you’ve got so many amenities, like the aquarium,” Linda said.

“We’ve had a spot of lunch in town, and then we’ve just been on the ferris wheel.

“We’re going to go back to the car to get a drink and then will go for a walk along the beach.”

(Image: Newsquest)

Emily added: “We’re going to go for a nice long walk, enjoy the sea.

“[The children are] loving it. This one is asleep now, that’s how much he’s been enjoying it.”

According to weather enthusiast Jim Smith, temperatures hit 26.9 degrees, passing 80 degrees Fahrenheit for the first time in 2024.

A weather health alert was issued by the UK Health Security Agency in partnership with the Met Office, to run until Thursday, June 27.

A yellow alert was put in place on Monday, with the agencies expecting the hot weather to have ‘minor impacts’ across the health and social care sector for every region in England, except the north east.

Looking ahead to the rest of the week, the Met Office predicts another hot day tomorrow, Wednesday, June 26, with highs of 23 degrees.

Temperatures will drop slightly towards the end of the week, with sunny spells and highs of 22 degrees on Saturday and Sunday.