The lunar eclipse above Canary Wharf in London (Yui Mok/PA)April was also the sunniest on record for England since records began in 1910, and the other home nations had their second sunniest. Figures from the Met Office showed 630 hours of sunshine were clocked up across the country between March 1 and May 27. It was the warmest June on record in England and the second warmest for the UK since Met Office data began in 1884. The blistering conditions were taking their toll, with hosepipe bans imposed in many regions as a third heatwave took hold. In Ireland, one man died in the Letterkenny area of Co Donegal and hundreds of thousands were without power across the island.
