We're having a heatwave ... a look back at how we used to soak up the sun

Liverpool is heading for a heatwave, if the forecasters are to be believed, which means plenty of opportunities to get out and soak up the sun without having to head to the airport.

Whether it’s barbecues in the garden or trips to the park, there’s no shortage of ways to enjoy glorious days at home.

Southport open air pool in June 1974

Soaring temperatures, even in the summer, are always a pleasant surprise in Britain so it’s no wonder we make the most of every minute of every balmy day.

Lucky for those who can grab a day off and head to the riverfront or to the coast, but even in the city centre office workers and shoppers improvise to catch a few rays in their lunch hours or between spending.

Other ways we spend our spare time might have changed radically over the decades, but our love of sunbathing has never diminished. Crowds making their way to Southport, Formby, Crosby and New Brighton at the first sign of a hot day prove we still love to stretch out on a patch of sand, buy an ice cream and have a paddle to cool off, just as families did back in the 50s and 60s.

Here are some photos from the Echo archives showing how we loved to spend the sunniest days in years gone by ...

Southport Beach and Pleasureland on 18th April 1960

New Brighton Pier does a roaring trade on 8th August 1950

The inevitable Punch and Judy show on the crowded Southport Beach on 12th July 1950

An evangelist wears a snadwich board with 'The end is in sight' as he walks past nude bathers at the most popular unofficial nudist beach in the North West in Ainsdale, July 1979

Holidaymakers and their cars on Southport Beach on 5th August 1959

Crowds of people relax in the floral Hall Gardens, Southport, as they listen to the band on 5th August 1959

Story and Photos Source: Liverpool Echo