12 photos to bring back memories of childhood heatwaves of 1970s and 1980s - from lidos and beaches to ice creams and shows

Suncream was hardly mentioned, schools closed when the heat became too much and there was nothing better than a lolly with colourful sprinkles for kids.

Forget planes and airports, those were the days of coaches and trains to make the most of the glorious British seaside complete with fish and chips, rock with the name of the resort going right the way through, beaches filled with sweaty bodies and grannies enjoying a paddle.

Here are our favourite photos to bring back nostalgic memories of those days of summer ...

1, Clothes were optional. There were no disposable swimming nappies back then so it was bare bottoms all round. Here’s a group of toddlers sitting at the side of a paddling pool as they cool off during hot weather in London's Serpentine in Hyde Park.

2, When a 99 ice cream was far cheaper than 99p but the queues were awfully long for little people without much patience. These youngsters finally made it to the front to enjoy their ice creams at Wyken Slough pool, Coventry.

3, Busy scenes at the Droitwich Lido open air swimming pool on a hot summer day.

4, Cheap flights had yet to be invented so most families headed off on their annual summer holiday by coach. Yes - it was noisy, hot and not particularly enjoyable but the destination was worth the hours stuck in traffic.

5, A donkey ride was always the highlight. Although most of us were a lot smaller than Lenny Henry when we enjoyed the donkeys on Blackpool Beach.

6, This might look like a keep fit class but they are actually the stars of the big summer show. Meet the showgirls from the Tom O' Connor show at Britannia Pier Theatre - a must-see for every trip to the British seaside.

7, There’s nothing better than tripe for a summer feast. Just look at the queue for Frank Nicholls who cooks and sells tripe from his stall, serving eager customers in the Market Square, Great Yarmouth.

8, The celebs of the day were always up for a laugh and happy to see any camera! Here’s Cannon and Ball setting sail in Torquay harbour. They are in the dinghy of their cruiser called "Smile".

9, There was always somewhere to cool down - as long as there were no bobbies on the beat nearby. As the temperatures soared into the 80s again, the cool fountains in Trafalgar Square were even more tempting to the people sitting around them despite the law which says it is illegal to bathe in them.

10, Most of us weren’t used to holidays abroad so we had to find very British ways to enjoy the sun. Shifting tons of scrap metal is no joke when the temperature is hitting the 80s. But it became a real pleasure when Donald Morrison, 19, and 26-year-old Frank Kay found a rusty old bath at J and W Robinson's yard in Partick, Glasgow. July 1976.

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