Diamond Jubilee: Street parties held across England

Revellers faced a delay to get into Battersea Park

Street parties have been held across England after organisers vowed to carry on "come rain or shine".

<link> <caption>BBC Weather</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/features/18308270" platform="highweb"/> </link> forecasters correctly predicted cloudy and cool conditions with rain across much of the UK.

In Chapel Allerton, Leeds, street party organiser Matt Tamplin said they had experienced rain at parties before and it would not put them off.

He said: "We'll carry on, we've got two big marquees and a few umbrellas so we'll be fine."

Almost 9,500 roads shut across England and Wales for parties, while others held smaller get-togethers in gardens and parks.

Eric Morecambe's statue was draped in bunting for the day

The rain did not put people off in Morecambe, Lancashire, where a Jubilee party took place along a mile-and-a-half of the promenade.

Fire brigade sirens rang out to signal the event's opening where about 3,000 people enjoyed the atmosphere.

The centrepoint of the party was a statue of the comedian Eric Morecambe, with tables stretching out either side.

Hundreds of thousands of people were in London for the <link> <caption>River Thames Jubilee Pageant</caption> <url href="http://www2.thamesdiamondjubileepageant.org/" platform="highweb"/> </link> .

More than 1,000 boats, traditional and modern, escorted the Queen and Duke of Edinburgh aboard a specially decorated royal barge down the river.

A number of spectators viewed the pageant from what organisers said was "the highest street party in London", close to the top of Millbank Tower in Westminster.

The 28th and 29th floors were decked out in bunting with hundreds of guests enjoying the Jubilee Pageant as it sailed past.

Organisers in Chapel Allerton, Leeds, did not let the weather put them off holding a party

In Battersea Park, a right royal "knees-up" was staged to mark the Jubilee.

Designer Wayne Hemingway helped to mastermind the eclectic festival by the Thames, that celebrated music, food, fashion and art from the past 60 years.

Not all travel arrangements went to plan. Many rail passengers were unable to get on packed Chiltern trains to London in Warwickshire and Oxfordshire earlier.

BBC Coventry and Warwickshire reporter Sian Grzeszczyk said she had seen lots of <link> <caption>disappointed people left on platforms</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-18315326" platform="highweb"/> </link> , including about 150 at Banbury, Oxfordshire.

In Grimsby, two events were cancelled because of wind and rain.

The Waltham Windmill Preservation Society was set to hold a fun day but said it would be rearranged for a future date.

Landlord Andrew Southerden has turned his pub into a ship to celebrate the Jubilee

Organisers of the Asian and Cultural Mela, which was due to take place in People's Park, also called the event off.

In addition to the main events in London, hundreds of of celebrations that took place across England included:

• A river party in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, where up to 30 boats decked with flags travelled down the River Severn

• In Oxfordshire, Top Gear presenter James May threw buns as part of a 250-year-old royal tradition

• Hertfordshire topped the street party list with more than in any other county in the UK

• In Kibworth, Leicestershire, a pub was "launched" to celebrate the pageant

In Hertfordshire, members at the Spielplatz Naturists Centre at Bricket Wood, near St Albans, hosted a naked teddy "bares" picnic.

The Spielplatz Naturists took part in Jubilee celebrations

Tina Yates, one of the directors of the centre, said although the rain had prompted some members to put on clothes, "the teddies won't be".

In Hertfordshire, a <link> <caption>council bought in water</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-18292258" platform="highweb"/> </link> from a local landscaping company so a town fountain could be switched on for the celebrations.

The Coronation Fountain, a landmark in Welwyn Garden City, had been turned off due to the hosepipe ban.

A West Sussex village has marked the celebrations with a royal-themed scarecrow contest.

Up to 100 straw effigies lined the streets in and around West Hoathly and Sharpthorne.

<bold>See all the latest Diamond Jubilee news and features at </bold> <link> <caption>bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee</caption> <url href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/diamondjubilee" platform="highweb"/> </link>