The third day of last month was the sunniest July day ever recorded in the Isle of Man.

The Met Office at Ronaldsway says there were 15.9 hours of sunshine, which just beat the 15.8 hours on Tynwald Day in 1971.

Altogether there were 242.5 hours of bright sunshine last month, 24 per cent more than average.

But despite all the sunny days, temperatures were relatively low, with an average of 17.3 Celsius compared with a long-term mean of 18.1 Celsius.

The hottest day was the 14th, when the mercury hit 19.8 degrees.

Rain fell on 15 days, with the total of 58.4 millimetres slightly above average for the time of year.

No thunder was reported.