Early-risers were treated to a stunning view of the sun peaking above the horizon this morning on the longest day of the year.

Today's Summer Solstice will bring more than 16 hours of daylight to the UK – with Kent residents being treated to dry and sunny weather.

The solstice in the northern hemisphere takes place each year between June 20 and June 22 – and this year it's today.

Sunrise in the county was at about 4.41am and it is expected to set more than 16-and-a-half hours later at 9.16pm, according to website Time and Date.

The June solstice inspires many celebrations and traditions involving watching the sunrise, morris and maypole dancing and the lighting of bonfires.

Whitstable swimming group Bubbletit Bluetits organised a Summer Solstice swim this morning to catch a glimpse of the sun.

Swimmer Miriam Simmons, 56, who lives in Hernhill, near Faversham, said: "The sea was absolutely amazing this morning as it was very calm and there was hardly any wind. At 4.30am it was really bright and I thought we had missed the sunrise.

"But all of a sudden, it came up from the horizon and it was absolutely magical.

"There was about 30 of us and we sort of stopped as the sun was so mesmerising."

And while the evenings may gradually start to shrink in after Tuesday, the forecast shows little sign of following suit over the next few days.

The Met Office expects temperatures to build through tomorrow and Thursday with more very warm weather on the cards – albeit temperatures are unlikely to hit the record highs seen in the south east during last week's brief heatwave.

But we're unlikely to notice the days becoming too much shorter for a while – with the shortest day of the year not until Monday, December 21 while the end of the astronomical summer takes place on September 22 with the start of the autumn equinox.