Families flocked to Promenade Park in Maldon this week as temperatures became unseasonably warm.

Children played in the sand, splashed in the water and swarmed over the pirate ship model, before tucking into ice cream and fish and chips at the Quay.

In 2006 the Splash park opened in the Valley, the centre of the popular park.

Since opening this year, the Splash park has had around 500 visitors.