Skywatchers in Shropshire enjoyed clear skies during this morning’s partial eclipse of the sun.

One of the best vantage points was Lyth Hill near Shrewsbury which saw large numbers of people including local media gathered to watch the rare spectacle.

The partial eclipse cast a shadow over the county for the first time this century, with just over 90 per cent darkness when the moon passed between the sun and the Earth.

Those watching the eclipse reported birds stopping singing, the temperature dropping and an unusual colour to the light.

Partial solar eclipses happen when the Moon comes between the Sun and the Earth, but they don’t align in a perfectly straight line. Because of this, the Moon only partially covers the Sun’s disc.

The Sun looks like the Moon has taken a bite out of it. This is because the Moon casts the lighter, outer part of its shadow, the penumbra, on Earth.

It was the deepest solar eclipse shadow to fall across Britain since 1999. The event will not be seen again in the UK until 2026.

It’s a rare occurrence for a solar eclipse to coincide with the 20 March equinox, which marks the start to spring for the northern hemisphere. The eclipse also coincided with a supermoon.

The eclipse was at its fullest in Shropshire around 9:31am and ended at 10:39am.