In Pictures: Bank holiday weather bonanza for sunbathers and swimmers

It was a sweltering bank holiday for many across the UK, with the all-time hottest May temperature of 33.5C recorded in London on Monday.

The Met Office said heatwave conditions were met in eight parts of England on Sunday: Heathrow in Greater London; Benson in Oxfordshire; Brooms Barn in Suffolk; High Beech in Essex; Kew Gardens in London; Northolt in London; Santon Downham in Suffolk; and Writtle in Essex.

From left, Kara, Conor, and Katie McLaughlin make a splash on Newcastle beach in Co Down (Liam McBurney/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Liam McBurney

A couple sunbathe as the land train drives past on Bournemouth promenade (Andrew Matthews/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Andrew Matthews

Bournemouth beach was a patchwork of bright umbrellas and sunshades (Andrew Matthews/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Andrew Matthews

A knotted hanky kept the sun off the head of a Notts County fan in the stands for the Sky Bet League Two play-off final at Wembley Stadium (John Walton/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - John Walton

At Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, dozens of daredevils braved sunburn and broken bones to throw themselves down a steep slope on Monday in the annual cheese-rolling race in Gloucestershire.

Participants take part in the first men’s downhill race during the annual cheese rolling at Cooper’s Hill in Brockworth, Gloucestershire (Jacob King/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jacob King

Spectators found some shade on the side of the steep course (Jacob King/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Jacob King

On Sunday, London parks were packed with people looking for a green oasis to escape the city heat.

One dog refused to get out of the water at Battersea Park, south-west London, and who could blame him? (James Manning/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - James Manning

Sunday brought a record-breaking high of 32.3C at Kew Gardens, south-west London (James Manning/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - James Manning

A person swims in the sky pool near the US embassy in Nine Elms, south London (James Manning/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - James Manning

On Saturday, the new EU border checks were suspended at Dover while motorists queued for hours as temperatures climbed at the start of half-term.

The village of Frittenden, in Kent, hit 30.3C, on what was the hottest day of the year at the time, but surpassed as the holiday weekend progressed.

On Saturday, people queued in their hot vehicles at the entrance to the Euro Tunnel site in Folkestone, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller

Paddleboarders at nearby Sunny Sands beach opted for a cooler form of transport (Gareth Fuller/PA)PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller

The Kent beach was packed with revellers across the long weekend (Gareth Fuller/PA )PA Wire/PA Images - Gareth Fuller