Stonehenge summer solstice: In pictures

Police and security staff watched on as crowds celebrated during the summer solstice at Stonehenge

The sun has risen on the summer solstice, marking the longest day of the year. Stonehenge, in Wiltshire, is traditionally seen as a meeting place to mark the occasion, but it was closed off after the government delayed the easing of England's covid restrictions into July.

About 200 people ignored advice not to travel to the site. Here's how this year's event passed in pictures:

Some people climbed over a low fence to get into the ancient stone circle, after it was closed amid the spread of coronavirus

The atmosphere inside the stone circle was said to be good natured and peaceful

People celebrated with music and singing

A woman stood silent as the sun came up behind the clouds

It is believed that solstices have been celebrated at Stonehenge for thousands of years

Senior druid King Arthur Pendragon performed a ritual from outside the fence

People also turned up at Avebury Stones, about 24 miles (38km) away, where police closed part of the nearby Ridgeway footpath to maintain public safety

Onlookers got a glimpse of the sun through the clouds as they stood on a hill near the Avebury Stones

Others gathered at Glastonbury Tor in Somerset

.