Dozens enjoy scorching temperatures while most stay home in heatwave

Despite this dozens of people still enjoyed the hot weather on Walney given respite by heavy winds and intermittent cloud cover.

Biggar Bank was almost empty - with just two or three groups of people swimming in the sea.

The picture was a little different at Earnse Bay with dozens of people lining the emerging sands and dipping in the water.

Earnse Bay had a handful of people enjoying the sunshine

However, plenty decided to stay indoors - or had to work - after the Met Office issued an amber warning for extreme heat across Cumbria, the North East and much of Scotland.

Kath Culbert said: "I am staying in the house with the blinds shut and fan going full blast - just about to have an ice cream."

Anthony Perkins said: "I am sitting in the shade with a cool fizzy orangeade topped with a scoop of ice cream, then taking a nice cool shower afterwards and off to the pub for a refreshing beer in the shade."

While behind the scenes, Ange O'Halloran said  she was walking up and down the aisles in a cash and carry, filling cages with food, drink and cleaning supplies for all the businesses catering for people enjoying the hot weather.

Walney's Biggar Bank had barely anyone, with just a handful of people paddling in the water

Other Barrovians took to Facebook to brag that they were in Sorrento, Kefalonia, or Paphos, Cyprus.

Temperatures reached 40C for the first time on record in the UK, with 40.2C provisionally recorded at Heathrow Airport.

People cut out essential journeys across the country. Transport for London said around 1.03 million entries and exits were made by London Underground passengers up to 10.00am on Tuesday, while road traffic was down more than 10% in London, Birmingham and Manchester, according to location technology firm TomTom.

While Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said issues on the rails and roads will continue for decades during extreme heatwaves.