THE hottest day of the year so far saw flocks of people enjoying the beautiful Lakes outdoors.

Tuesday's scorching sunshine left those free from work with no excuse not to enjoy the belated summer weather, as temperatures touched 30 degrees in Cumbria.

The temperature did not decrease much overnight either, with 22 degrees being the lowest point.

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Revellers were seen taking to the lakes for a dip, enjoying ice creams on the shores and walking in the fells where the views were at their most spectacular.

Rachel Tyson, Head of Marketing & Sales at Cumbria Tourism said: "The recent spell of warm weather is always a very welcome boost to Cumbria’s visitor economy and certainly encourages visitors to holiday at home and book a break to explore the wonderful landscape we have on offer. We look forward to further good weather for the start of the school holidays and a busy summer ahead."

The favourable weather also saw a spike in fortunes for businesses, as visitors piled into tourism hotspots.

Ben Berry, of the Low Wood Bay Marina, said: "It's been really good with the weather. On Tuesday we took more than we do on a typical weekend at this time of year.

"The sun really does boost businesses in the area, and watersports businesses benefit in particular.

"In the tourism industry lead times for bookings have gone down. People wait longer to book holidays. So people look at the nice weather and say: 'Let's go to the Lakes."

However the sun proved dangerous in some cases, with reports of a woman suffering from a heat related illness while out walking.

The Great North Air Ambulance Service was called at 4pm to assist a 23-year-old woman who had been walking near Scafell Pike with her boyfriend. She was suffering from heat exhaustion and severe dehydration. She was flown by the Great North Air Ambulance to the West Cumberland Hospital, Whitehaven, where she arrived in a stable condition.

The sunny weather was interrupted by thunderstorms yesterday morning and the forecast for the future is not as bright.