Sunseekers flock to Hackney’s parks as people lap up the October sunshine

As most people expected to be turning up the central heating, an unexpected burst of October sun meant parks across Hackney were packed with sun worshippers at the weekend.

It was only the first two days of the month, but already it was branded “the hottest October on record,” as thermometers in Hackney reached a whopping 29 degrees.

Hot charcoal could be smelt across the borough as people squeezed in just one last barbeque, while hundreds of sun seekers flocked to London Fields.

Mark Brown and James Adams took their guitars along there, and treated their friends Martin Dejea and Carolina Garcia to some Flamenco tunes, while Wando Erizie impressed onlookers with her hula hoop skills.

Ice cream vans did a roaring trade as people queued up in drones, and the pool in Stoke Newington’s Clissold Park was packed with kids splashing around and having fun in the sun.

Many people were just happy to lap up the hot weather that had never come in the summer – including four-year old Jarvis Morgan and his six year old sister Edith.

But some people expressed concern that something rather strange was happening to the weather including 36-year old Emily Morgan, who lives in De Beauvoir Road.

“I’m enjoying the sunshine as much as the next person, but I can’t help feeling a bit nervous that something’s not quite right,” she said.

“What if this is a result of environmental damage and we’re all too busy stuck in a traffic jam on the way to the beach to pay attention?”

It looks as though this was the last hot spell of the year, as hurricanes are predicted to hit the UK by the end of the week.