Staycationers flock to the beach to enjoy last of the hot weather before thunderstorms arrive

With temperatures set to reach a scorching 33C today, staycationers have been flocking to the beaches across England during the weekend heatwave.

Queues of gridlocked cars were seen across coastal roads this morning as sun-seekers made their way to Camber Sands in West Sussex and Bournemouth beach.

In a bid to grab a spot by the sea some early-bird beachgoers have even been camping the night before in Bournemouth.

On Saturday all but four of the area's beaches were on a red alert, meaning safe social distancing was no longer possible as hundreds of thousands flocked to the Dorset coast.

Many of the area's car parks were full by lunchtime and many camped overnight to avoid the risk of being turned away.

A spokesman for BCP Tourism said the rangers have been very busy dealing with incidents across the seafront so far on Friday and Saturday, when it is believed about 100,000 people hit the beaches of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

She said the rangers can ask people camping to leave but do not actually have powers to remove them. It is down to police to enforce the rules against camping on a public beach.

HM Coastguard dealt with 340 individual incidents across the UK on Saturday - its highest amount of call-outs in a single day for well over four years.

These included people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables.

In total the service rescued 146 people and assisted a further 371 people.

By 1pm on Sunday several of the area's beaches were already on a red alert, meaning they should be avoided, including Sandbanks, Alum Chine, Durley Chine, Avon Beach and Mudeford Sandspit.

The Met Office have issued a weather warning for "severe thunderstorms" for Wales and across the UK, saying that parts of the country could be faced with disruption as large hailstones and heavy rain is expected.

Dan Harris, Met Office deputy chief meteorologist, said some places are likely to be hit with up to 80mm of rain in just a few hours.

He said that "the ingredients are there" for them to strike, but "it's just too early to pinpoint the details of exactly where and when thunderstorms will occur".

Saturday's top temperature was 94F (34.5C) at Frittenden in Kent, Wiggonholt in West Sussex, and Herstmonceux in East Sussex, the Met Office said.

People in Dorset are being urged to avoid Lulworth and Durdle Door due to large numbers already in the coastal areas, and officials said they are closing roads to manage traffic.

On Saturday, HM Coastguard dealt with 340 incidents across the whole of the UK - the highest number of call-outs in a single day for well over four years.

The Coastguard co-ordinated search and rescue responses to a wide range of incidents, including people being cut off by the tide and children swept out to sea on inflatables.

A woman has died after a crash between a jet ski and a boat at a seaside beauty spot.

The woman was enjoying one of the hottest days of the year when she died in the tragedy on the Menai Strait between the mainland of Wales and the island of Anglesey.

The picturesque straits near the historic Menai Bridge are popular with jetskiers - with water safaris and lessons costing £85 a head.

Police confirmed the woman, who hasn't been named, was taken to hospital but sadly died.

North Wales Police confirmed her death but the age of the woman is currently unknown.

A spokesman for North Wales Police said: "A woman has sadly died following a collision between a jet ski and a boat in the Menai Bridge area yesterday evening."

"Officers are appealing for any witnesses to the incident to contact North Wales Police on 101 quoting reference number Y114906."

An inquest is expected to be held later into the crash which happened just before 8pm on Saturday night.