Environmental Scientists at Lancaster University's Hazelrigg Weather station have released official data confirming this June was the sunniest since 1975 (43 years).

It was also the driest since 1988 (30 years) and the warmest (based on average daytime maximum and daily mean temperatures) since 1970 (48 years).

26/06/2018 was the hottest June day since 18/06/2000 (18 years)

The glass ball (photographed) helps our scientists establish sunshine levels. The Campbell-Stokes sunshine recorder focuses the sun's rays onto a card at the back to measure the total sunshine hours.

Dr James Heath of the Lancaster Environment Centre said: “What makes all this the more remarkable is that these figures were reached in spite of the sudden arrival of “Storm Hector” on 13th/14th June, introducing a week or so of much fresher, more changeable conditions. Without that interruption mid-month, June 2018 would very likely have broken all the records going back more than 50 years.”

Scientists have been keeping an unbroken weather record at Lancaster University for more than 50 years. Read more here: Lancaster team marks fifty years of weather watching