People in the UK on Friday welcomed the summer solstice at Stonehenge.

Around 10,000 people gathered at the ancient stone circles to watch the sun rise on the longest day of the year.

Kate Logan, director of Stonehenge for English Heritage said: "We know that the people who built Stonehenge wanted to mark this occasion because they built a monument around it so that when the sun rises on this day, beams of light shine directly into the middle of the stones.

"So people gather here today because they want to gather as people have gathered for thousands of years to mark this special moment in the calendar."

Simon Banton, Stonehenge expert said it was fundamentally and uniquely iconic as a landscape monument.

"It's probably about the last stone circle built in this country. And it embodies what humanity can achieve when it tries to work together for a common purpose," he said.