Thousands of sun worshippers descended on the beaches as Sussex sweltered in Mediterranean-style temperatures.

Brighton and Hove basked in 26C (79F) heat at the weekend, leaving resorts like Crete and the Algarve in the shade with 19C (66F) temperatures.

The city's beaches were packed with around 80,000 sun-seekers, making it the busiest weekend this year.

Seafront pubs saw trade rocket as drinkers flocked to watch Michael Owen score a brace for Liverpool in his team's 2-1 win over Arsenal in the FA Cup final.

The second weekend of the Brighton Festival added to the number of visitors.

Brighton and Hove seafront officer Nick Banks said: "The amount of people on the beach was ridiculous - you could hardly move.

"I think just about every man, woman and child in the area came out."

Palace Pier general manager Bob O'Connor said: "We have been exceptionally busy this weekend, certainly more so than the last bank holiday."

The balmy weather also blessed Eastbourne, where the pier and the miniature steam railway park in Lottbridge Drove both recorded increased visitors.

And visitor attractions which had suffered because of the foot-and-mouth epidemic were cheered.

Drusillas Zoo Park in Alfriston, near Polegate, welcomed more than 2,000 visitors.

Events co-ordinator Ian Blight said: "It has been extremely busy. It is nice to know that, despite having to close because of foot-and-mouth, people are still bearing us in mind."

Animals including pigs, guinea pigs and even bats have been layered with factor 10 sun screen.

Tourism bosses in Worthing reported a rise in numbers as did Hastings, Chichester and Crawley.

Ken Kelling, from the English Tourism Council, said the warm weekend was a welcome boost to the embattled tourism industry as it recovered from foot-and-mouth.

He said: "People are still going to be fairly frustrated by the small number of footpaths open. There probably won't be any area fully back to normal in the countryside until they open up again."

But despite the balmy weather there is a cloud on the horizon. Forecasters said people should enjoy the sun while it lasts because predictions for the week ahead were not so promising.

Although temperatures will stay in the 20s, forecasters warn of possible thundery showers.