In Pictures: Swimmers take a dip and shoppers eye sales on Boxing Day

There were also Boxing Day hunts held across the country.

Swimmers take part in the Folkestone Lions’ Boxing Day Dip at Sunny Sands Beach in Folkestone, Kent (Gareth Fuller/PA) (PA Wire)

Swimmers have braved the cold, shoppers searched for bargains and riders and hounds attended hunts at Boxing Day events across the country.

Hundreds of people took the plunge in chilly temperatures for a traditional Boxing Day dip, including at Sunny Sands Beach in Folkestone, Kent.

North of the border, swimmers took part in the Ayrshire Cancer Support Boxing Day Dip at Ayr Beach.

There were modest queues in Oxford Street early on as hardy bargain hunters hoped to bag themselves a cut-price cracker or two in the sales.

Hunts were held across the country, including at the North Cotswold Boxing Day hunt in Broadway, Worcestershire.