It was a shirts off, legs out, ice creams in hand, red noses and sticky sun cream kind of start to the week.

Clear blue skies, blistering sunshine and hot air gently blowing in from the Sahara pushed temperatures to a sweltering 34C across Kent on Monday.

Public Health England declared a level 2 heat-health alert, triggered when the Met Office forecasts a 60% or greater chance of temperatures hitting 30C for at least two days consecutively.

In Gravesend and Dartford on Monday, temperatures reached 28.7C, with 4pm being the hottest part of the day.

It was already 19C by 8am, and today (Tuesday) it was 21C at the same time, with temperatures in excess of 32C predicted from 1pm to 5pm.

The forecast put towns’ mercury levels higher than those of Ibiza, Greece and Olu Deniz in Turkey.

Going further afield, it even beat Barbados (where it was also raining), Hawaii and Los Angeles.

Temperatures were not expected to dip below 24C tonight.

People headed straight to Gravesend’s riverside to sit on the grass, shaded by the trees and catch a cool breeze.

Among them were friends Glynn Simms and Doreen Kirk who came from Crayford and Dartford respectively to enjoy the view and watch the boats sail past.

Mary and Ted Martin also met up with their friends Janet and Rob Topp to watch the world go by in the shade.

Kym Giles and Emilia Martin, one and a half, escaped their stuffy garden to feel a breeze, and Reece Brown cycled from Strood to the Promenade Cafe to spend the day in the sun.

Businesses reported a surge in sales thanks to the heat.

The Promenade Cafe, in Commercial Place, was inundated by customers.

Speaking on Tuesday, Connie Oxley, whose father Darren manages the cafe, said: “Business has really picked up in the last few days – everyone is coming in after ice cream or chips. Kelly’s ice cream is a really big seller, and we’ve not stopped serving people for three days.

“We’re a popular cafe anyway, but things are looking much better than last year; the sun has definitely helped. We’ve had a lot of families in and people stopping by for breakfasts too.”

Nuxley Toys in Milton Road saw a surge of customers when the sun came out and paddling pools, water pistols, buckets and spaces, fishing rods and outdoor games flew off the shelves.

Manager Richard Ray said: “We actually sold out of water balloons. We’ve seen a lot of people coming in to get stocked up for the summer now the weather is nicer. While buying a pool and toys is an initially outlay, it lasts all the school holidays, and is still cheaper than going to leisure centres.”

In the heatwave of 2003, Gravesend briefly recorded the hottest ever temperature in the UK at 38.1C (100.6 °F) on August 10, but was then beaten by Faversham when it hit 38.5C (101.3F).