Platinum Jubilee: South East beacons lit amid celebrations

The community gathered for an explosive lighting ceremony in Wadhurst, East Sussex

Beacons were lit across the South East as part of celebrations to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

More than 3,500 beacons were lit up around the world to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

Across Kent, Sussex and Surrey 219 official beacons were lit, along with many other unofficial lighting ceremonies.

Kent had the second highest number of official beacons in the UK with 113, Sussex had 75 and Surrey had 31.

219 official beacons were lit across the South East on Thursday night as part of a ceremony to mark the Queen's 70-year reign

The Queen began the ceremony by touching a globe representing the Commonwealth nations, symbolically sending a chain of lights from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace.

In Hastings, East Sussex, locals gathered on the cliffs with lit torches for a beacon-lighting ceremony overlooking the sea.

Locals in Hastings, East Sussex, gathered with lit torches to mark the beacon lighting ceremony

Nearby, members of the Royal British Legion gathered at Victoria Pleasure Ground in Uckfield, East Sussex, for a lighting ceremony.

A Royal British Legion standard-bearer poses with the beacon in Uckfield, East Sussex

Crowds also gathered in East Grinstead, West Sussex, and Crowborough, East Sussex, for beacon-lighting ceremonies.

Uniformed groups gathered around the beacon following a lighting ceremony in East Grinstead, West Sussex

A calm scene in Crowborough, East Sussex, following the lighting of the local beacon

In Kent, crowds gathered in Lamberhurst, Newchurch and Goudhurst, amongst other places, to mark the occasion as a community.

A beacon aflame in Lamberhurst, Kent, following a cerermony at dusk

The community gathered in Newchurch on the Romney Marsh in Kent, to watch their local beacon be lit

A lit beacon in Goudhurst, Kent

In Surrey, communities gathered on village greens to watch beacon-lighting events in Tatsfield and Dormansland near Lingfield.

Residents gathered on the village green in Tatsfield to mark a beacon-lighting there

This picturesque shot was from Dormansland village near Lingfield in Surrey

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