HUGE crowds have flocked to the beach as a four-day “extreme heat” warning comes into force.

Brighton beach was packed on Thursday with thousands descending on the city.

An amber warning, issued by the Met Office, covers much of southern England including Sussex, with a threat of possible impacts to health, transport and infrastructure.

The alert came into force today and will last until the end of the week when temperatures are expected to fall.

Highs of 35C are expected on Friday in some parts of the UK, and may hit 36C in some places on Saturday.

The amber warning is the Met Office’s second-most severe after red.

In Brighton and Hove, temperatures are expected to reach 30C on Thursday, before rising to 31C on Friday.

Friday will be a “fine and dry day with long sunny spells”, according to the Met Office. It’ll be hot for most, but cooler near eastern coasts.

From Saturday to Monday, there will be dry settled weather, with hot temperatures. Overnight mist patches are possible, before heavy thundery showers may begin to develop on Sunday night into Monday.