Yesterday afternoon a strange gloom descended over much of the UK.  

Behind the murky orange-brown sky, the sun was seen to shine a deep red.

The phenomenon, caused by the tail end of Hurricane Ophelia dragging dust particles and tropical air up from the African continent, was first seen in the morning in South West England but gradually moved eastwards.

It is thought that debris from forest fires burning in Spain and Portugal also contributed to the unusual conditions.  

We asked our readers to send in photos of the sky where they were, and they did not disappoint as a wealth of super shots found their way into our email inboxes. Here are some of the best.