In photos – huge crowds already gathered on Worthing seafront to watch solar eclipse – and claim a free pair of viewing glasses

They have joined a free event, organised by Worthing Astronomers, which is handing out hundreds of free solar glasses so locals can safely witness the spectacle.

With almost an hour to go before the near-total eclipse begins, there is already a large queue for glasses, with cars parked up and down the road and many people claiming a space on the grass already.

A few telescopes with solar filters attached will also be available for members of the public to use.

The aerial picture was taken by photographer Eddie Mitchell shortly after 5pm.

Around 95 per cent of the Sun will be covered by the Moon in what is expected to be the deepest solar eclipse visible from the UK and Ireland since 1999.

In Worthing, the eclipse will begin at about 6.18pm and reach its maximum at 7.14pm, lasting around one hour and 49 minutes in total.

Paul Ibbitson, who co-runs Worthing Astronomers, said: “The event is a near total (partial) solar eclipse for us in the UK.

“Day will pretty much turn to night during this period and you will notice that birds and other wildlife will fall silent as they are tricked into believing that it is night time.

"We will have around 400 pairs of solar glasses that we will be handing out for free to the public so that they can safely view the event with us at the location.”