There appears to be a good reason why the Old Town Beer Festival is held in a church, with this year's event blessed with the warmest weather of the year so far.

The 11th edition of the festival at Christ Church Swindon saw hundreds imbibing in the communion beer out on the sunny lawn.

The third of four days was the hottest, with temperatures two degrees higher than Los Angeles.

The beers, however, remained cool - all 46 of them as well as 31 ciders and perries.

They ranged from a 8.4 per cent drink ‘dry-aged in a 100-year-old oak vat’ to a Bakewell tart cider, a coffee porter to a honeycomb-flavoured stout.

While the beers were served in half-pint measures, other measures also were taken to keep people on their feet with many queuing up for food.

Food for Thought were present serving delicious classics - fish and chips and burgers and for desert Glamorose was selling a selection of cupcakes, tiffins and ice creams, popular with the kids cooling off from the sun.

Scheduled for the evening is live music from 5pm to 10pm with a bit of country and western to get people moving.

The event is due to continue onto Sunday, but with thunderstorms forecast it could spell pints of rainwater instead.